Two days after Hurricane Dorian tore into the Bahamas, we finally managed to reach Grand Bahama airport, cut off from the rest of Freeport by a river of water swept in by the storm.
What we found was shocking. The terminal building was unrecognisable, its walls ripped away. Debris, twisted into indistinguishable shapes of metal, concrete, wire and glass, was strewn across the floor. The roof, miraculously, remained, but the ceiling draped down around us, thrashed to ribbons.
Then, perhaps the most striking symbol I have seen of the hurricane’s incredible power: right in the middle of the terminal, lying on top of what looked like part of a luggage roller belt, the undercarriage of a small passenger plane, torn from the rest of the fuselage. It is hard to imagine the force required to throw a plane from the runway inside the terminal building. If anyone was in here, I do not know how they could have survived.
I have covered hurricanes before, and I have seen unspeakable damage on Grand Bahama in the last few days, but I have never seen anything like the complete destruction I saw here.
As vital aid begins to arrive on the islands, a functioning airport is crucial. The countless injured also need this lifeline to help them receive proper treatment. While the US Coast Guard helicopters and planes arrive full of desperately needed supplies, they cannot land at the island’s main hub and must look elsewhere. There are boats coming, but their path here is slow.
By yesterday we were told the runway had been cleared, but it was still unclear when the airport would open. After days without any contact from the outside world, assistance is now at least beginning to arrive, but the struggle that lies ahead will be long and arduous for those left in Dorian’s wake.
Patrick Oppmann is International Correspondent with CNN.
