In 2019, Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas with catastrophic force, leaving behind a trail of destruction that reshaped entire communities. Dorian formed quickly, growing from a tropical storm to a category 5 hurricane in less than 10 days. When Dorian made landfall over the Abaco Islands, it sustained winds of 185 mph. To this day, it remains the most powerful storm to hit the Bahamian Islands.

As the hurricane passed over, tornadoes and catastrophic flooding occurred. Dorian moved at an incredibly slow rate of 1 mph, dumping water and storms over them for 2 days straight. Days of flooding followed, and after the storm had passed, the island was left without power for nearly 10 months. Some lived off of solar power in the day and generators at night, but many were left homeless. Thousands of people were displaced from their homes, with many missing for days. Dorian took the lives of hundreds of people with even more injured. The record breaking strength and prolonged impact led many to evacuate to other Bahamian Islands and the southern states, including Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas.

Though most have fully recovered from the storm, many are still left with damaged property and missing memories. Many vacation properties and small businesses abandoned the damaged buildings, as demolishing is more costly than starting from scratch. 

I did not live through Hurricane Dorian, but I walked through the spaces it left behind. This project does not attempt to speak for those who did, as the experience of living through Dorian is one I can never truly understand. Instead, it offers a visual record of what remains and what continues to grow, 6 years later. Walk through the Great Abaco Island and witness how life and beauty has slowly returned after the rain has fallen.