Irma vs Dorian

Looked but I can’t see anywhere where there is a Bahamas Forum or Dorian Thread.

I made a post maybe months ago but deleted as maybe too disturbing a topic for an upbeat recovering island and followers but now I will pose the question again given the relevancy to Dorian and with Abaco reportedly had a 22ish foot storm surge and I’ve heard there are many bodies on land and at sea.


When we were on SXM in January 2019, when talking with many familiar locals from past trips, they all alluded to the same thing on SXM and that it was kept low and some said because the two governments would have had to institute drastic health/quarantines and so forth.

In particular, I was told there were lots and lots of bodies initially in Orient Bay and Grand Case including in the waters.

Anybody else hear similar accounts on SXM? Was there ever an official Irma death toll?

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-49602445

We were told a similar story after one of the previous major hurricanes. I would not put much faith it its accuracy.

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/2017/...irma-with-a-second-hurricane-on-its-way/

The death toll for both Luis and Irma was way way higher than the official figures

From this article....”The death toll from the hurricane has reached 16, of whom four died on the French part of Sint Maarten and one on the Dutch side.

Read more at DutchNews.nl:”

Does that math work?

Yeah, I saw that. Was 16 the official death toll? I don't remember seeing a final number.

We will never know, but it's much more than the "official" reports.

Hurricane Dorian victims could reach over 3,000 on Abaco...
http://bahamaspress.com/2019/09/09/...-beyond-3000-in-abaco-alone-gb-hundreds/

That report looks like it's in the 'scandal rag' category, but as Dorian was happening, we commented that we wouldn't be surprised if the numbers of dead were in the thousands. What a horrible situation.

An island resident mentioned to me after Irma that the count would never be fully accurate, as the illegals on the island wouldn't be counted. Not sure how much truth there is to that, but to think that only 16 people lost their lives in that storm is pretty unrealistic.

i heard through a good source that the numbers given on SXM during Irma weren't anything close to Irma. There were also numerous deaths at the Sonesta Maho when it blew open. Heard many got sucked out and killed right there...but of course if that was ''out there'' it would've killed tourism for a while. Sad that the truth will never be known.

I always thought the death toll would have been higher.
But just assumed it was luck on SXM.


In February 2018, CNN and Puerto Rico's Center for Investigative Journalism filed three lawsuits against the Government of Puerto Rico to obtain details on deaths in the months following Maria. Following a court ruling, the government released the withheld information. Statistical data showed an increase of 1,427 deaths in 2017 as compared to the preceding four years; however, the number attributable to Maria could not be determined. On August 28, the Government of Puerto Rico revised the official death toll to be 2,975 people, ranking Maria as one of the deadliest hurricanes in United States history. The official estimate is based on a study commissioned by the governor of Puerto Rico,[2] where researchers at George Washington University developed statistical models showing the number of excess deaths for the time period between September 2017 and February 2018 to be between 2,658–3,290 (with a 95 percent confidence interval).[3] Researchers attribute the discrepancy with the initially reported death count to "lack of awareness of appropriate death certification practices after a natural disaster" among physicians reporting deaths to vital statistic agencies. From Wikipedia

Thanks for the candid answers from folks pretty well connected thinking maybe/probably higher. I clearly am thinking about immediate storm/storm surge deaths or deaths from clear injuries from storm/storm surge.

Im sure many folks succumb to stresses and strains of everything possible such as job loss, ptsd, etc, etc.

Well lets think of all of them 2 years later that didnt make it and for all those who have/are struggling through it and for all those who have/are making a come back.

That is the first I heard about Sonesta Maho but i certainly saw the damage long afterwards.

Invest 95L is moving near the Bahamas...

A lot of bodies were taken off the Island via the French side in boats. It was terrible and I know the figures for the Bahamas will be horrific to say the least.

Martini--95L is NO danger to the Bahamas, other than some gusty winds and rain. Goodness knows what it will do once it gets into the Gulf though.

It is a very sad situation all around, two years ago many lives were lost, illegal/legal some families will never know what happened to loved ones who left one island seeking work on another only to die. So much is covered up, I recently hosted a friend from the French side in SXM, what she told me was a horror. Still no drinking water, French side is still not doing well from someone that lives there. Area around marina ill repaired to say the least. What she told me from someone that lives there is surely different than us who vacation there.

Sorry, STILL no drinking water?? There is an issue with the drinking water on the French side because of bromides, I think it is.. Approximately June of this year, it was announced that one shouldn't drink the tap water on the French side, but it had NOTHING to do with the hurricane.

Correct.. Nothing to do with Irma. Its been an ongoing issue.

A similar path like Dorian with less strength but for those without a roof it is an awful situation.

The forecasters kept saying that if it developed that it wouldn't be until it went into the Gulf, which it's not supposed to go into the Gulf now.