Bahamian evacuees were told to get off a US-bound ferry
CNN
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Patrick Joachin stood in line at a police station in the Bahamian capital of Nassau, hoping to get a document that would prove he has a clean criminal record and eventually help him flee to the United States.
“I have nothing left here – no house, no job, no family,” said Joachin, who was evacuated from the Dundas Town neighborhood in Abaco on Saturday.
About 17% of all Bahamians are suddenly homeless after Hurricane Dorian wiped out neighborhoods and ripped houses off foundations. That’s 70,000 people who have lost almost everything.
Joachin wants to catch a flight to Tampa, Florida, where his mother and sister are living, and stay there until it’s safe to return to Abaco. If he doesn’t make it to the US, Joachin has no other place to go.
So far, about 5,000 people have been able to escape the country’s hard-hit Abaco Islands. Many others remain stuck in the northern Bahamas in precarious conditions.
Residents are sleeping in houses that are still standing but aren’t necessarily safe.
“So many people here are living in homes that are not suitable to be lived in here in Freeport and in Grand Abaco,” CNN’s Patrick Oppmann said Tuesday from Freeport.
A body is carried out of the Mudd neighborhood in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on Monday, September 9.
Photos: Hurricane Dorian
Fernando Llano/AP
Homes are in ruins one week after Dorian hit Marsh Harbour.
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Fernando Llano/AP
A photo album is seen amid the debris in Marsh Harbour on Sunday, September 8.
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A damaged home in Hope Town, Bahamas.
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A toppled building crane is draped over a new construction project in Halifax, Nova Scotia, on September 9.
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Bodies are loaded onto a plane in Marsh Harbour on Saturday, September 7.
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This aerial photo, taken on September 7, shows damage at the South Riding Point oil-storage facility in the Bahamas.
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Boxes of food are loaded onto trucks in Freeport, Bahamas, on September 7.
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People reach out for beverages as they await evacuation in Marsh Harbour.
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Evacuees from the Bahamas rest on a Royal Caribbean cruise ship after it arrived in Freeport on September 7. The ship delivered thousands of meals and cases of bottled water.
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Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
People wait to leave Marsh Harbour on September 7.
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Andrew Vaughan/AP
Waves crash into boats in Halifax, Nova Scotia, as Hurricane Dorian approached on September 7.
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A man looks a tree that fell in Moncton, New Brunswick, on September 7.
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A man surveys damage at the Boardwalk RV Park in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, on Friday, September 6.
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Bryan Philips walks with his dog on a flooded road in Salvo, North Carolina, on September 6.
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Gonzalo Gaudenzi/AP
Evacuees wait to leave Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas.
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A fallen tree lies on top of a vehicle in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on September 6.
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Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
Schemelda Saintilien walks past debris and damaged houses on the Bahamas' Great Abaco island.
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Police Officer Curtis Resor, left, and Sgt. Michael Stephens check a sailboat for occupants in Beaufort, North Carolina, on September 6.
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Gonzalo Gaudenzi/AP
Homes flattened by Hurricane Dorian are seen on the Bahamas' Great Abaco island on Thursday, September 5.
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Rescue workers recover a body in Marsh Harbour on September 5.
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Gonzalo Gaudenzi/AP
Two men stand amid the destruction in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on September 5.
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Fernando Llano/AP
A woman from the Bahamas speaks on a cell phone after evacuating on September 5.
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Johnny Milano/The New York Time
A woman battles rain and wind in Charleston, South Carolina, on September 5.
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Ken Ruinard/The Greenville News/USA TODAY Network/Sipa USA
Utility crews work on restoring power in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, on September 5.
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Ken Ruinard/The Greenville News/USA Today Network/SIPA USA
Rescue workers walk through floodwaters in Little River, South Carolina, on September 5.
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Tom Copeland/AP
Workers try to restore power after a tornado hit Emerald Isle, North Carolina, on September 5. Several tornadoes were reported in the Carolinas.
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Tom Copeland/AP
Emerald Isle employees work to clear a road after a tornado hit.
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An aerial view of Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on September 5.
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An evacuee rides in a Coast Guard helicopter after being rescued from Treasure Cay, Bahamas, on Wednesday, September 4.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Boats are piled up on the Bahamas' Great Abaco island on September 4.
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Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
Roshane Eyma cries as she is greeted by members of her church on September 4. She had been rescued and flown to Nassau, Bahamas.
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Gonzalo Gaudenzi/AP
Marsh Harbour is seen from above on September 4.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Houses destroyed by Hurricane Dorian are seen on the Bahamas' Great Abaco island on September 4.
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Ramon Espinosa/AP
A resident recovers dishes from his son's home in Pine Bay, Bahamas, on September 4.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
An aerial view of damage on the Bahamas' Great Abaco island.
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Ramon Espinosa/AP
A child walks past clothes laid out to dry in Freeport, Bahamas, on September 4.
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Ramon Espinosa/AP
A broken plane rests on the side of a road in Freeport.
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Debris litters the Grand Bahama International Airport on September 4.
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Jose Jimenez/Getty Images
Volunteers receive relief supplies at the New Providence Community Center in Nassau.
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Scott Olson/Getty Images
Boats, docks and houses are destroyed on the island of Great Abaco.
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Braden Vick, right, and Scott Ray run along The Battery in Charleston, South Carolina, on September 4.
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Ken Blevins/The Star-News via AP
Bob Quarles boards up his beach house in Oak Island, North Carolina, on September 4.
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Joe Skipper/Reuters
A house is surrounded by floodwaters on Grand Bahama island.
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Stephen B. Morton/AP
Debbie Pagan checks her raised furniture one last time before she and her husband evacuated their home in Tybee Island, Georgia, on September 4.
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Carmen Cuesta-Roca/AFP/Getty Images
Mailboxes are taped shut in Charleston on September 4.
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Crown copyright 2019
This aerial image shows damage on the Bahamas' Great Abaco island on Tuesday, September 3.
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Ramon Espinosa/AP
A family is escorted to a safe zone after being rescued in Freeport, Bahamas, on September 3.
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Tim Aylen/AP
Julia Aylen carries her dog as she wades through waist-deep water near her home in Freeport on September 3.
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Adam Stanton/US Coast Guard/AFP/Getty Images
Damaged homes are seen in this aerial photograph from the Bahamas on September 3.
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Ramon Espinosa/AP
Volunteers walk down a flooded road as they work to rescue families near the Casuarina Bridge in Freeport on September 3.
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Ramon Espinosa/AP
A car is submerged in Freeport floodwaters on September 3.
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Ramon Espinosa/AP
Residents wade through a flooded street in Freeport on September 3.
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Curtis Compton/Atlanta Journal-Constitution/AP
Eddie Wright and his dog, Vino, wait on a bus to evacuate Brunswick, Georgia.
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Tim Aylen/AP
A house is flooded in Freeport on September 3.
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Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images
People gather donations at the Christ Episcopal Church in Miami.
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U.S. Coast Guard/Courtesy of Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater
Boats are piled up at a Bahamian port on Monday, September 2.
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Dante Carrer/Reuters
A man walks through the rubble left by Hurricane Dorian in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on September 2.
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Nick Hague/NASA via AP
This September 2 photo provided by NASA shows the eye of Hurricane Dorian as seen from the International Space Station.
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Ken Ruinard/Independent Mail/Sipa USA
Evacuation traffic is seen near South Carolina's coast on September 2.
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U.S. Coast Guard/Courtesy of Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater
US Coast Guard helicopter crews have been helping with search-and-rescue efforts in the Bahamas.
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A man crosses a street during a downpour in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, on September 2.
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U.S. Coast Guard
This aerial photo shows Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on September 2.
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Office of the Prime Minister, Bahamas
Agency officials brief Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis and his cabinet members on September 2. Minnis said many homes, businesses and other buildings have been destroyed or heavily damaged. He called the devastation "unprecedented and extensive."
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Adam DelGiudice/AFP/Getty Images
Businesses are shuttered near Jetty Park in Fort Pierce, Florida, on September 2.
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Gerald Herbert/AP
A boy stands near high surf in Vero Beach, Florida, on September 2.
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NASA
This view of the storm was taken from the International Space Station on September 2.
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Firefly Sunset Resort
Dorian left heavy damage at this resort in Hope Town, Bahamas.
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Andrew West/Sipa USA/USA Today Network
Waves caused by Dorian crash into a man at the Jupiter Beach Park in Florida on September 2.
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Ramon Espinosa/AP
Strong winds blow the tops of trees and brush in Freeport, Bahamas, on September 2.
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A passenger looks at the flight board at the Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport on September 2. The airport canceled flights and closed because of winds caused by Dorian.
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Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service/Getty Images
People watch the waves crash onto Vero Beach, Florida, on September 2.
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Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP/Getty Images
Clouds loom over a lifeguard tower in Fort Lauderdale on September 2.
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Beachgoers watch a man ride a kiteboard in Indialantic, Florida, on Sunday, September 1.
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Ramon Espinosa/AP
Palm trees blow in strong winds prior to Dorian's landfall in Freeport.
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Ramon Espinosa/AP
A view outside a car's windshield before Dorian hit Freeport on September 1.
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Adam Delgiudice/AFP/Getty Images
Riverside Mobile Home Park residents Joe Lewis, left, and Rob Chambers work to secure an air conditioner before evacuating the park in Jensen Beach, Florida.
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Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP/Getty Images
A man places a shutter in a window in Lake Worth, Florida.
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Passengers arrive at Orlando International Airport on Saturday, August 31.
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Workers install storm shutters in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas.
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NASA employees watch as the Artemis launch tower is rolled back inside a building at the Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida.
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Matt Rohrer loads sandbags in the back of his vehicle in Flagler Beach, Florida, on Friday, August 30.
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Workers at Flamingo Gardens in Davie, Florida, move an Allosaurus statue on August 30.
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Gregg Newton/Reuters
Shoppers wait in line before sunrise for a Sam's Club store to open in Kissimmee, Florida.
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Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
A supervised work crew of female jail prisoners fills sandbags in Titusville, Florida, on Thursday, August 29.
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from Twitter/Andrew Morgan
"Here's a look at #HurricaneDorian from @Space_Station," said astronaut Andrew Morgan, who posted this photo to Twitter. "I caught this shot (August 29) as it traveled across the Caribbean north of Haiti and the Dominican Republic."
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Brynn Anderson/AP
Shoppers wait in long lines at a Costco in Davie, Florida, on August 29.
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A man fills containers with gasoline in Hialeah, Florida, on August 29.
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Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP/Getty Images
A man rides a bike by a Miami Beach building with boarded-up windows on August 29.
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Dozens of Orange County residents fill sandbags at Blanchard Park in Orlando on Wednesday, August 28.
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Empty shelves at a supermarket in Patillas, Puerto Rico, on August 28.
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Orit Ben-Ezzer/ZUMA Wire
People stock up with groceries and water in Fort Lauderdale.
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Ya Mary Morales and Henry Sustache put plywood over the windows of their home in Yabucoa, Puerto Rico, on August 28. Puerto Rico was ultimately spared the brunt of hurricane-force winds.
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Workers prepare a store's exterior in Humacao, Puerto Rico, on August 28.
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Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters
Cars line up for fuel at a gas station in Mayaguez, Puerto Rico, on Tuesday, August 27.
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Ramon Espinosa/AP
Men board up a shop's windows in Boqueron, Puerto Rico, on August 27.
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Thais Llorca/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
Municipal employees clear debris in Ponce, Puerto Rico, on August 27.
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Chris Brandis/AP
Residents board up a storefront pharmacy in Bridgetown, Barbados, on Monday, August 26.
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Chris Brandis/AP
Residents stand in line at a grocery store in Bridgetown on August 26.
On Grand Bahama island, residents “worry about eating spoiled food because so many markets lost their generators,” Oppmann said.
“There’s a black market for bread now and every little item that … we all take for granted.”
Tuesday, nine days after Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas with 185-mph winds, “we are still without power. Still without water,” Oppmann said.
Some families are lining up for hours trying to get aid. Many include small children.
“Understandably, many people, particularly if they have small children … they just don’t want to risk it,” Oppmann said. “They just don’t want to live in the conditions that we’re forced to live in right now.”
Temporary protected status won’t be an option for Bahamians, official says
The Trump administration will not grant a form of humanitarian relief known as temporary protected status or TPS to Bahamians affected by Dorian, according to an administration official.
Administration officials ultimately decided that TPS was not an option for the Bahamians because of the statutory obstacles in place, the time it would take to provide relief and the number of those who would be eligible, according to the official.
TPS applies to people who would face extreme hardship if forced to return to homelands devastated by armed conflict or natural disasters, therefore the protections are limited to people already in the United States. Bahamians who haven’t already arrived to the US would likely not benefit from the protections.
CNN reached out to the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department, which is among those generally involved in the consultation, for comment. State Department referred questions to DHS, which has not yet responded.
Some countries hit by hurricanes have been designated for TPS in the past. In the late 1990s, Honduras and Nicaragua were designated for TPS after Hurricane Mitch. And more recently, Nepal was designated for TPS in 2015 after an earthquake killed more than 8,000 people there.
The struggle to find refuge
Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said evacuees will be able to come back. But no one knows how long it will take for ravaged islands to recover.
“I want to assure evacuees that as we start rebuilding their communities they will be returned home,” Minnis said.
Already, many Bahamians have had difficulty seeking refuge – both inside and outside the country.
By Sunday, all emergency shelters in the capital city of Nassau were full, the Pacific Disaster Center reported, according to USAID.
Over the weekend, about 119 ferry passengers hoping to evacuate Grand Bahama to Florida were told to get off a Balearia Caribbean boat if they didn’t have visas, the ferry operator said.
US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has said the operator did not properly coordinate the evacuation ahead of time.
The ferry’s operator, Balearia, has since apologized for the “hardship and inconvenience” the passengers experienced. But Balearia also said it received conflicting information.
“We boarded these passengers with the understanding that they could travel to the United States without their visas, only to later having been advised that in order to travel to Ft. Lauderdale they required prior in-person authorization from the immigration authorities in Nassau,” Balearia said in a statement Monday night.
Stephen Silvestri, acting port director for the CBP at Port Everglades, said the evacuees were ordered off the boat by the ferry operator – not by any US government entity.
Tuesday, the acting commissioner of US Customs and Border Protection clarified the rules.
“The requirements remain the same for anyone trying to come to the United States. … They need travel documents, including the visa,” acting CBP Commissioner Mark Morgan said.
“That captain of that vessel, he knows that. And he knew that if he came to the United States with individuals without travel documents, it would have taken a long time because we’re going to do what we always do, which is properly vet everybody. And if they don’t have those travel documents, it’s going to really slow the process down. What he wanted to do was keep going back and forth and make as many trips” as possible.
But in some cases, Bahamians who don’t have travel documents might still be allowed into the United States.
“We’re trying to strike that balance,” Morgan said. “We don’t want this mass exodus from (the) Bahamas. … But those individuals who do make it to the United States that don’t have travel documents, of course … we’re going to apply discretion on a case-by-case basis. We’re not going to deny somebody solely because they don’t have travel documents.”
Countless people are still missing, and the death toll will likely soar
The official death toll from the Bahamas is now 50, police said. Authorities found 42 bodies on the Abaco Islands, and eight bodies from Grand Bahama island.
An unknown number of people are still missing, the Bahamian National Emergency Management Agency said.
Many could be buried or trapped under mountains of rubble. Others may have been washed away by torrential storm surges and submerged.
Morticians on Marsh Harbour, the biggest town in the Abacos, said dive teams were needed to recover some of the submerged bodies.
“We anticipate the discovery of more deceased persons, as the process of search and recovery progresses,” the Royal Bahamas commissioner of police said.
USAID Administrator Mark Green said parts of the Bahamas looked “almost as though nuclear bombs were dropped on them.”
Marilyn Laing, a resident of High Rock on Grand Bahama, said she can’t describe how catastrophic the damage is.
“I have no words to say how bad,” Laing said. “Maybe one in 10 houses is standing.”
CNN’s Rosa Flores and Kevin Conlon in Lake Worth, Florida; Alla Eshchenko in Nassau, Bahamas; Nicole Chavez and Chandler Thornton in Atlanta; and Priscilla Alvarez in Washington contributed to this report.
