Cleanup after Dorian resumes in Bahamas as tropical storm Humberto continues to strengthen
Islands still trying to recover from hurricane as Humberto heads to Florida's east coast
Jeffrey Roberts lifted a mustard-yellow curtain from the ground as he looked for passports and other documents at the site where his family's home once stood in Grand Bahama.
He then moved the cloth aside, picked up a pair of old, rusty pliers, and continued his search.
"We got to take what God gives us," Roberts said in reference to tropical storm Humberto, which narrowly missed the island over the weekend as it continued on its northward trajectory well offshore of Florida's east coast.
Forecasters say the storm has continued to strengthen, and is raising the risk of dangerous rip currents on the southeastern U.S. coast.
The U.S. National Hurricane Centre in Miami reported Sunday evening that Humberto was about 270 kilometres east-northeast of Cape Canaveral, Fla., and was moving north at 9 km/h with maximum sustained winds of 110 km/h. Weather forecasters said it would likely become a hurricane by Sunday night, but would remain far from the Bahamas and the U.S. coast by the time it has intensified to that strength.
Tropical Storm <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Humberto?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Humberto</a> is strengthening and is forecast to turn east-northeastward, away from the United States. However, there is a significant threat of rip currents along parts of the southeastern U.S. coast and NW Bahamas. Full advisory: <a href="https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB">https://t.co/tW4KeFW0gB</a> <a href="https://t.co/XQXwrtngLw">pic.twitter.com/XQXwrtngLw</a>
—@NHC_AtlanticThe storm briefly shuttered a couple of small airports, sent people in damaged homes to seek shelter and threatened to interrupt the distribution of sorely needed supplies including food and water.
As the storm barely passed the northern Bahamas, however, Roberts and others were already returning to the task at hand: resuming their cleanup and recovery efforts in communities devastated by Hurricane Dorian two weeks ago.
Guterres calls Dorian 'Category Hell'
On Saturday, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres visited the island of Great Abaco to support humanitarian efforts in the wake of the storm that left thousands in need of food, water and shelter.
The death toll from the hurricane stands at 50 and the number of missing at 1,300, although officials caution the list is preliminary and many people could just be unable to connect with loved ones.
The Canadian government has said it might consider recalling its Canadian Armed Forces crew deployed for humanitarian relief if the impending storm worsens.
"The safety of our aircrew and aircraft is always a priority," said spokesperson Alexia Croizer.
With files from CBC