THAT WILL HAPPEN AS WE GO THROUGH THE NEXT A COUPLE OF
HOURS.
HOURS. >> THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
>>> THE BAHAMAS ARE DEALING WITH
AN UNPRECEDENTED CRISIS WITH
THOUSANDS MISSING OR NEEDING
ASSISTANCE AND AT LEAST 23 DEAD.
MORGAN CHESKY IS ON THE GROUND
IN THE BAHAMAS.
YOU JUST GOT BACK FROM ABACO,
ONE OF THE AREAS REALLY HARD
HIT.
HIT. TELL US WHAT YOU SAW THERE.
>> Reporter: IT WAS TOUGH TO
WITNESS FIRSTHAND.
WITNESS FIRSTHAND. THE ABACO AIRPORT JUST OPENED
TODAY AFTER SPENDING THE PAST
SEVERAL DAYS UNDERWATER.
WE TOOK A FIXED WING AIRCRAFT
THERE.
THERE. HELICOPTERS HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
REACH MARSH HARBOR FOR SEVERAL
DAYS NOW BEARING SUPPLIES.
WHEN WE TOUCHED DOWN, WE STILL
SAW SEVERAL OF THOSE RUNWAYS SS
SUBMERGED.
SUBMERGED. THE FIRST THING THAT SHOCKS YOU
AT MARSH AIRPORT ARE THE PEOPLE
WAITING AT THE AIRPORT, THEY’RE
NOT INJURED BUT HAVE NOWHERE
ELSE TO GO.
THEY SAY, WE DON’T HAVE ANYTHING
LEFT HERE.
LEFT HERE. WHATEVER THEY HAD WAS EITHER
CARRIED OR WORN ON THEIR BODIES.
WE HITCHED A RIGHT INTO TOWN OR
WHAT’S LEFT OF IT.
ONE OF THE FIRST THINGS WE CAME
INTO CONTACT WITH WAS A CLINIC,
ONE OF THE FEW BUILDINGS NOT
TOTALLY DEMOLISHED.
TOTALLY DEMOLISHED. APPROACHING THE CLINIC, IT’S
HALF CLINIC, HALF SHELTER AT
THIS POINT, JUST SO PEOPLE CAN
GET OUT OF THE SUN WHICH IS
UNBEARABLY HOT RIGHT NOW.
FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T HAVE ANY
SHELTER AT ALL, YOU CAN SEE THE
ENERGY DRAINED AFTER SPENDING
THE PAST SEVERAL DAYS TRYING TO
FIND WAYS TO SURVIVE THERE ON
THE ISLAND.
THE ISLAND. WE WENT FURTHER INTO SOME OF
THOSE HARDEST HIT NEIGHBORHOODS.
I WAS LOOKING AT A HOME, ASKING
A GENTLEMAN ABOUT IT AND HE
SAYS, NO, THIS IS NOT A
STANDALONE HOME, THIS IS THE TOP
STORY OF A TWO-STORY HOUSE THAT
WAS PICKED UP SOMEWHERE ELSE,
FARTHER THAN THE EYE COULD SEE,
AND CARRIED TO THIS LOCATION.
AND IT WAS LIKE THAT ALMOST
EVERYWHERE YOU LOOKED.
THE ROAD LEADING BACK TO THE
AIRPORT, HEAVILY FORESTED ON
BOTH SIDES, TYPICALLY, BUT YOU
COULD SEE THROUGH EVERY SINGLE
TREE, STRIPPED BARE BY DORIAN’S
POWER.
POWER. WE PLAN TO FOLLOW UP WITH THE
PEOPLE THERE, BUT THE THING THAT
HIT ME THE HARDEST WAS WHEN I
ASKED THEM WHAT CAN PEOPLE SEND
TO ABACO TO HELP OUT, A WOMAN
LOOKED AT ME AND SAID,
EVERYTHING, WE NEED ABSOLUTELY
EVERYTHING RIGHT NOW.
WHEN YOU SEE HOW MUCH TIME STORM
TOOK AWAY, IT’S TOUGH TO
DISAGREE WITH HER.
BACK TO YOU.
>> MORGAN, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY
DEVASTATING.
DEVASTATING. IT BREAKS YOUR HEART TO HEAR YOU
TELL THOSE STORIES.
NOW YEAR IN NASSAU WHERE THOSE
RECOVERY EFFORTS ARE LEAVING
FROM, ALL THE RESCUE CREWS
TRYING TO GET TO PLACES LIKE
ABACO AND GRAND BAHAMA.
WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES LIKE FOR
THE RESCUE CREWS TRYING TO GET
THERE?
THERE? YOU’RE REALLY SEEING THE FULL
PICTURE.
PICTURE. >> Reporter: RIGHT.
AND WE KNOW THAT THIS EFFORT HAS
BEEN HAMPERED BY THE SHEER
DAMAGE THAT HAPPENED IN ABACO
AND GRAND BAHAMA WHERE THE
FLOODING WAS SUCH A BIG ISSUE
THERE.
THERE. SPECIFICALLY ON ABACO, A LOT OF
ROADWAYS ARE STILL INACCESSIBLE,
SOME UNDERWATER, OTHERS COVERED
BY DEBRIS.
BY DEBRIS. I HAD A CHANCE TO SPEAK TO THE
PRIME MINISTER OF THE BAHAMAS
LAST NIGHT AND HE TOLD ME THEY
PLAN TO SEND CREWS THAT ARE
ALREADY THERE ON ABACO AROUND
THE ISLAND TO HOPEFULLY CLEAR
THE ROADWAYS OF THE DEBRIS.
THOSE ARE THE MAIN ARTERIES THAT
RELIEF CAN START POURING INTO
THIS AREA AND DOING SOME
SIGNIFICANT GOOD THERE.
BUT STILL, KEEP IN MIND THAT THE
ROAD TO RECOVERY IS MONTHS IF
NOT YEARS AHEAD FOR THIS AREA.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT REALLY
STOOD OUT TO ME WAS WE’VE BEEN
IN CLOSE CONTACT WITH GOVERNMENT
OFFICIALS HERE IN NASSAU
FOLLOWING DAILY PRESS BRIEFINGS
AND SUCH, AND WE WERE TOLD, IT
WAS REITERATED, IN FACT, THAT
THEY HAD BOOTS ON THE GROUND
THERE ON ABACO ISLAND,
SPECIFICALLY MARSH HARBOR.
YET WHEN WE WENT THERE TODAY, I
DID NOT PHYSICALLY SEE ANY
BAHAMIAN POLICE OFFICERS OR
MILITARY PERSONNEL IN SOME OF
THOSE HARDEST HIT AREAS.
WE DIDN’T DRIVE ON EVERY SINGLE
ROAD, I SHOULD SAY, BUT IN OUR
TOUR AROUND THE MOST HEAVILY
DAMAGED AREAS, I DIDN’T COME
INTO CONTACT WITH ANY OF THOSE
OFFICIALS.
OFFICIALS. AND THAT SURPRISED ME,
SPECIFICALLY WITH PEOPLE SAYING
THE GOVERNMENT SENT HELP HERE,
AND PEOPLE WOULD STAIRRE BACK AT
ME AND SAY, NOT HERE.
>> GOSH, MORGAN, YOU JUST DON’T
EVEN KNOW WHAT TO SAY, YOU FEEL
SO HORRIBLE FOR THE PEOPLE AND
WHAT THEY’VE BEEN GOING THROUGH.
WE’RE LOOKING AT IMAGES PAIRING
WITH WHAT YOU’RE SAYING AND IT’S
COMPLETELY DEVASTATING.
COMPLETELY DEVASTATING. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR SHARING
THOSE STORIES WITH US.