Trump touts support for Bahamas as crews scramble to rescue survivors
President Trump on Saturday emphasized the United States’s support for the Bahamas as crews in the Caribbean islands rushed to rescue survivors following devastation from Hurricane Dorian.
Trump took to Twitter to thank Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis for his “very gracious and kind words in saying that without the help of the United States and me, their would have been many more casualties.”
“I give all credit to FEMA, the U.S. Coast Guard, & the brave people of the Bahamas,” Trump tweeted, adding that there was “much work to be done by the Bahamian Government. We will help!”{mosads}
Minnis on Thursday night had praised the United States for “assisting us with all of our needs” after the islands were struck by Dorian and said the help from the U.S. likely lowered the death toll.
“From day one, the United States was in our territory assisting us with all of our needs. Had it not been for the United States we would not have been advanced this far in the entire process,” Minnis said in a CNN interview.
“Even though our death numbers, we expect they [will] increase, had the United States not come in quickly … our death numbers would be even more,” he added.
Trump’s tweets Saturday morning came as crews in the Bahamas were scrambling to rescue survivors of the storm, which made landfall in the islands early this week as a Category 5 storm, leaving widespread wreckage.
Some 43 people have been confirmed dead, including 35 in the Abaco Islands and eight in Grand Bahama, according to The Washington Post, though thousands were thought to be missing and the death toll was expected to rise.
“We acknowledge that there are many missing and that the number of deaths is expected to significantly increase,” Minnis said in a statement late Friday. “This is one of the stark realities we are facing in this hour of darkness.”
The U.S. Coast Guard has helicopters and cutters aiding in recovery efforts, along with 1,000 members ready to assist with relief efforts in the area and across the southeastern U.S. following the storm, the Post noted.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 7, 2019
The U.S. Embassy in the Bahamas is currently overseen by Chargé d’Affaires Stephanie Bowers.
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