B.C. firefighters and disaster dog Sammy began their search through the wreckage in the Bahamas for victims in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian Tuesday.
Penticton fire chief Larry Watkinson – as well as his trained disaster response dog named Sammy and a number of firefighters from Burnaby – are helping emergency crews from around the globe in Great Abaco, one of the hardest hit islands in the northern Bahamas.
Great Abaco is in rough shape. Today flew in and We secured camp, and all the logistical needs for our team, tomorrow will start searching for the next 4 days. pic.twitter.com/HR1Hlcglvj
— Penticton Fire Dept. (@pentictonfire) September 10, 2019
Watkinson, who has been documenting their efforts on social media, said that the group “secured camp, and all the logistical needs for our team” on Monday after landing in the region.
On Tuesday, he said that the island “is in rough shape,” calling the wreckage a “tragic scene.”
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“Devastation everywhere but our team is doing well,” the Burnaby Fire Department said on its official Twitter page.
Hurricane Dorian caused the most destruction in the Bahamas. According to the Associated Press, when Dorian struck the Bahamas last week it was as a Category 5 hurricane with 295 kilometre per hour winds and obliterated thousands of homes.
An estimated 50 people have been confirmed dead, but thousands have been reported as missing on DorianPeopleSearch.com, a website where loved ones can enter names of individuals who remain unaccounted for. Aerial footage over the islands shows monumentous wreckage. Crews are anticipated to be scouring through the debris for weeks.
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