Pope prays for victims of Hurricane Dorian in Bahamas

Pope prays for victims of Hurricane Dorian in Bahamas

Pope Francis greets journalists aboard the papal plane.

Aboard the papal plane to Mozambique, Pope Francis invites everyone to pray for the victims of Hurricane Dorian, which thrashed the Bahamas with high winds and killed at least 7 people.

By Devin Watkins

Pope Francis acknowledged the devastation wrecked so far by Hurricane Dorian in his greetings to journalists aboard the papal plane bound for Maputo, Mozambique, and asked everyone to pray for those affected.

“Those poor people,” he said, “who from one day to the next have lost their homes, everything, even their lives.”

Powerful hurricane

Dorian crashed into the Bahamas on Sunday evening as a Category 5 hurricane, packing sustained winds nearing 300 km/h and storm surges of 5 meters over normal tide levels.

At least 7 people were killed in the Bahamas, and nearly 13,000 homes were destroyed.

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said the death toll is expected to rise as rescue teams are able to reach flooded areas.

He called it “one of the greatest national crises in our country’s history.”

Hurricane Dorian first slammed into the Abaco Islands with the highest-ever-recorded wind speeds at landfall. On Monday, it struck Grand Bahama and hovered there for 2 days, causing severe damage and flooding.

https://www.vaticannews.va/en