Days after Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm, there are still thousands of people missing across the Bahamas.
Among the chaos of flooded streets, flattened homes and destroyed cell towers there are people feeling lost, waiting to be found after having their lives ripped apart by Dorian.
If you have family or friends unaccounted for, these are reliable steps you can take to try to find them.
1. Reach out to the U.S. Coast Guard – you need to find this website – which has every emergency contact listed pertaining to your situation.
2. Contact the U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas – 305-373-6295.
The General Consulate there states … "Depending on the circumstances, consular officers may personally search hotels, airports, hospitals, or even prisons. The more information that the caller can provide, the better the chances are that we can find the missing American."
3. Contact The National Emergency Management Agency – or NEMA – which is the government of the Bahamas.
The agency advised those looking to locate family members to complete their NEMA application for assistance. They also set up an Emergency NEMA Hot Line -- (242) 322-6731.
4. You can join the Facebook group – 'Bahamas People Search -- Hurricane Dorian.' There are several social media groups like this – including Abaconians Reunite, Man-O-War, Bahamas Bulletin and Abaco Buzz.
5. Hope Town Volunteer Fire and Rescue is the local fire station in Marsh Harbour that has been posting updates on social media.
6. Use the website www.DorianPeopleSearch.com to search by area – and post contact information.
7. For U.S. Citizens missing abroad -- You can use the National Missing and Unidentified Persons System – at www.NamUS.org.
If you want to help with donations or supplies beware of scams, especially if someone is asking for money over the phone. Do your research. The Federal Trade Commission says, "If you can't find detailed information about a charity's mission and programs, be suspicious."
If you know of any other resources that could help families, reach out to First Coast News: news@firstcoastnews.com.