Bahamians look for loved ones as 1,300 missing after Dorian

They scan social media, peer under rubble, or try to follow the smell of death in an attempt to find family and friends.

They search amid alarming reports that 1,300 people remain listed as missing nearly two weeks after Hurricane Dorian hit the northern Bahamas.

The government, which has put the official death toll at 50, has cautioned that the list is preliminary and many could be staying in shelters and just haven't been able to connect with loved ones.

But fears are growing that many more died when the Category 5 storm slammed into the archipelago's northern region with winds in excess of 185 mph and severe flooding that toppled concrete walls and cracked trees in half as Dorian battered the area for a day and a half.

"If they were staying with me, they would've been safe," Phil Thomas Sr. said as he leaned against the frame of his roofless home in the fishing village of McLean's Town and looked into the distance.

The boat captain has not seen his 30-year-old son, his two grandsons or his granddaughter since the storm.

They were all staying with his daughter-in-law, who was injured and taken to a hospital in the capital, Nassau, after the US Coast Guard found her but only her.

"People have been looking, but we don't really come up with anything," Thomas said, adding that he's heard rumors that someone saw a boat belonging to his son, a marine pilot, though the vessel also hasn't been found.

He especially misses his 8-year-old grandson: "He was my fishing partner. We were close."
"You pick up the pieces bit by bit. ... I've got to rebuild a house. I've got three more kids. I've got to live for them until my time comes."
"We want residents to take it seriously."
"We are doing our best. ... We ask people to have patience."
"I'm like: 'Hey, I'm not dead! You guys have no faith in me. I'm a survivor,'" he said, adding with a laugh. "He was shocked and mad at the same time."