NASSAU, BAHAMAS- The number of missing people and those displaced in shelters following the passage of Hurricane Dorian have decreased, said Minister of Social Services Frankie Campbell yesterday.
“The number today of persons in our shelters stand at about 1,700,” Campbell told reporters, following the launch of “Older Persons Month”.
“That’s an indication that the numbers have reduced and we are working assiduously to create a situation, both in Grand Bahama and Abaco, and persons can start returning to be a part of the cleaning and restoration,” he said.
“I’m satisfied that psychologically persons want to be in an environment that they are familiar with.
“We know that Abaconians and Grand Bahamians don’t necessarily like New Providence. They come here and they do their business and then they go back as soon as possible.
“So, we want to put them in that frame of mind where they are in an area where they are most familiar with and happy with.”
Campbell noted that assessments are being conducted to identify individuals who, based on minimal damage of their homes, could go back and seek some form of normalcy with “small assistance”.
He said the second stage would be to identify those who need greater assistance.
“The central government has set aside arrangements to cause those things to happen while we work with our international partners for the longer term,” Campbell added.
Following the Category 5 storm, morethan 2,000 people were being housed in shelters across New Providence and approximately 1,300 were said to be missing.
While he indicated yesterday that the number of missing people has decreased, Campbell could not confirm by how much.
