USAID chief says Dorian's impact on Bahamas "as though nuclear bombs were dropped"

Residents work on a roof in the "Mudd" neighborhood of Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Former Hurricane Dorian's death toll in the Bahamas has risen to 50, Health Minister Duane Sands told NBC News.

The latest: 3,500 people have been evacuated from Abaco and Grand Bahama to New Providence, the Nassau Guardian reported Monday. Many are still missing and thousands are now homeless.

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The big picture: Passenger planes, cruise liners and government boats and ships have been transporting evacuees to Nassau, the Bahamas' capital, and Florida, per the BBC.

• USAID director Mark Green told reporters Sunday after surveying the areas hit hardest by former Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas that the aftermath was comparable to that of a nuclear explosion, Reuters footage shows.

"What I was struck by was struck by was the focused nature of the devastation. There are parts of Abaco and the Bahamas that don't show a great deal of damage, and then there are clusters and communities that were devastated, almost as though nuclear bombs were dropped on them."

The U.S. is working in partnership with the Government of the #Bahamas, including the National Emergency Management Authority, to fully leverage all partners and capabilities available and deliver emergency supplies to address the immediate needs in the wake of #HurricaneDorian. pic.twitter.com/bszJ2n9KUN

— Mark Green (@USAIDMarkGreen) September 8, 2019

How the U.S. is helping: The United States Coast Guard has been assisting with recovery operations and conducting medical evacuations and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection has been processing evacuees in Florida.

• More than 47 metric tons of USAID supplies have arrived in the Bahamas fromto help an estimated 44,000 people, Green tweeted.

Background: Dorian first made landfall in the Bahamas on Sept 1. It stalled for about a day just north of Grand Bahama before being downgraded to a Category 2 as it moved away last Tuesday, leaving the islands "decimated."

In photos: Dorian's devastating impact on the Bahamas

The remains of a home on Elbow Key Island. Photo: Jose Jimenez/Getty Images

Eludieu Jnnoel collects rubble and debris from damaged homes in Hope Town, Bahamas. Photo: Jose Jimenez/Getty Images

Residents await evacuation at a dock in Marsh Harbour on Saturday. The U.S. Coast Guard is conducting medical evacuations. Photo: Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

Residents of an area destroyed by Hurricane Dorian ask for food and water from rescue volunteers in Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island. Photo: Fernando Llano/AP

The remains of Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport. CNN reports the walls have gone and "the ceiling has come crashing." Photo: Yasmin Rigby/AFP/Getty Images

Damage on Great Abaco Island. Officials say 17 of those confirmed dead were from the Abaco islands and 3 from Grand Bahama, the Nassau Guardian reports. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

Abaco properties Preliminary reports show some 76,000 Bahamians have been impacted and more than 13,000 houses damaged or destroyed, per the American Red Cross. Photo by Scott Olson/Getty Images

U.S. Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews deployed to Andros Island to help with medical evacuations capture Dorian's devastation on Monday. Photo: U.S. Coast Guard/Twitter

Marsh Harbour was hit hard. Photo: Scott Olson/Getty Images

The U.S. Coast has been capturing the devastation on the Bahamas while helping with recovery efforts. Photo: Adam Stanton/US Coast Guard via Getty Images

A flooded downtown street in the Bahamas capital, Nassau. Photo: Lucy Worboys/AFP/Getty Images

First responders escort an injured person from Abaco Island after the U.S. Coast Guard evacuated people from the island on Tuesday. Photo: Jose Jimenez/Getty Images

The damage on Abaco Island. Photo: HeadKnowles Foundation via Getty Images

U.S. Coast Guard Vice Adm. Scott Buschman (L) and Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis (C) prepare to go on a reconnaissance flight to Abaco Island. Photo: Jose Jimenez/Getty Images

Editor's note: This article has been updated with more details.

Go deeper:

• Post-tropical cyclone Dorian hits Canada: What you need to know
• CBP processes over 1,000 Dorian evacuees in Florida from Bahamas