Hurricane Bahamas hits for two weeks Search continues on September 14 at 10:02

Two weeks have passed since a large hurricane hit the Bahamas, the Atlantic island nation. On Abaco Island, where the damage was particularly severe, many people were still missing, and the search was continued with the help of foreign rescue teams.

The Atlantic Bahamas were hit directly by a large hurricane “Drian” from the 1st to the 2nd of this month, and more than 10,000 houses were destroyed and 52 people died.

On the 10th, the 10th day since the hurricane hit, NHK's interview team entered Abaco Island in the north, where it was particularly severely damaged by the hurricane hit.

In a wide area of ​​the island, houses collapsed without a trace and debris remained piled up.

In addition, on the roads in the residential area, several boats that seemed to be washed away from the harbor were rolled over, and the victims evacuated from the island to the capital Nassau on a large ship.

On Abaco Island, rescue teams from overseas including the US Army have been added to search for missing persons, but roads and bridges are severed and there are still many untouched areas. Even now that I met my eyes, I don't know where many people are going.

As of the 12th, the Bahamas government said that there were more than 1,300 people still unreachable, and Prime Minister Minis said on the 11th that "the death toll could increase considerably."

In addition, the US meteorological authorities predict that the tropical cyclone that causes heavy rain will pass near the Bahamas on the 14th of Japan time, and there is concern about further damage.

About Abaco Island

The Atlantic Bahamas is an island of approximately 700 islands and over 2000 coral reefs, located on the eastern side of the southern Florida peninsula.

The area is 13,939 square kilometers, almost the same as Fukushima Prefecture.

The key industry is tourism, accounting for more than half of GDP = GDP.

Of these, Abaco Island in the north of the Bahamas, where NHK's interview team entered, is about 150 kilometers north of the capital Nassau.

According to the statistics of the Bahamas government in 2010, the population was 17,224 people, and it was known as an island lined with beautiful seas and English-style buildings of the former rulership.

Support from Japan and other countries

In the Atlantic Bahamas hit directly by a large hurricane, more than 10,000 homes have collapsed, and more than 70,000 people need urgent assistance such as food. going.

A large amount of water, rice, and diapers and other relief supplies from all over the world, including the United States and Europe, reached the Bahamas capital of Nassau and the northernmost Abaco Island, where the damage was most severe.

Among them, the Japanese government provided tents, blankets, and tanks for water through the JICA = International Cooperation Organization, and at the presentation ceremony held on the 10th local time, the Bahamas government officials said I am grateful for Japan ’s support. ”

“The Japanese who have been hit by the Great East Japan Earthquake know that the people of the Bahamas are in a very difficult situation,” said Mr. Tonogawa, the Japanese Embassy in Jamaica, who has jurisdiction over the Bahamas. I hope that the goods will reach the victims as soon as possible and that they will be useful. "

Successive large hurricanes due to global warming

Research groups in the United States have summarized the results of analysis that large-scale hurricanes have occurred in the Atlantic and Caribbean in recent years due to rising seawater temperature due to global warming.

Ototoshi, six large-scale hurricanes in the Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean, twice as many as usual, caused significant damage to the southern United States and the Caribbean.

As for the cause, NOAA = Dr. Hiroyuki Murakami of the United States Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, etc., analyzed the effects of changes in seawater temperature around the world on the flow of seawater and air by computer. It is said that it was found that the biggest factor was that the temperature rose due to global warming.

The research group expects large hurricanes to continue to increase due to global warming.

Dr. Murakami has warned that he said, “We expect that hurricanes will continue to grow due to global warming.”