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Freeport, Grand Bahama (CNN) - Hurricane Dorian destroyed the only airport on the island of Grand Bahama.
"After two days of trying, we can finally enter Freeport airport," said Patrick Oppmann of CNN from the scene on Wednesday.
“It has disappeared… The level of devastation is really impressive. There are no walls left at the airport. The roof has collapsed. ”
Airport annihilation is a devastating blow for residents who desperately need medical evacuations or emergency help.
What used to be impressive islands are now scenes of widespread destruction.
Hurricane Dorian pulverized northern Bahamas for two days, throwing catastrophic winds and unrelenting rain. It was the strongest storm that ever touched land in the island nation.
The Abaco Islands in the north of the Bahamas received the strongest blow.
"Nothing compares to what we went through in the last two days," said survivor Michael Hynes. "Almost 48 hours now with butcher shop without stopping."
LOOK: Bahamas: The Summary of Destruction
At least 20 people, including an 8-year-old boy, died. Authorities say that number will surely increase.
"We can expect more deaths to be recorded," said Prime Minister Hubert Minnis. "Our priority is search, rescue and recovery."
Now that Dorian's clouds creep slowly along the southeastern US coast. UU., The Bahamians finally see the sunlight again.
Volunteers now rush to rescue trapped residents and deliver help three days after Dorian hit the country like a category 5 storm.
"There is tremendous human suffering," said storm chaser Josh Morgerman. “These people really need help. They have lost everything. ”
Volunteers walk through floods to save strangers
Volunteers try to rescue families on Tuesday in Freeport, on the island of Grand Bahama.
Rochenel Daniel is one of the many Bahamians who was responsible for rescuing others.
“The first one we found was my brother. He was clinging to a tree and left safely, ”said Daniel.
READ: Rihanna joins several stars seeking to help the Bahamas recover from Hurricane Dorian
“But we have not been able to locate his wife at this time. We hope she is well. ”
Volunteers are fighting their own fatigue to save survivors exhausted by the prolonged hurricane.
“Some people were exhausted. Some of them had to be loaded, ”said Daniel. "Some did not even survive."
Freeport resident Harold Williams and his son went on a jet ski to save their stranded relatives who were approached with water to their chest.
"I don't think we've seen anything like that in our life," said Williams. "Total destruction."
Follow here the minute by minute of Dorian's step
In parts of the Abaco Islands, going door to door is not an option because there are no doors. The houses have been replaced by rubble.
You can't even get to an airport and a hospital
Cars submerged in floods on Tuesday in Freeport.
One of the most affected islands is Grand Bahama, home of the popular city of Freeport.
LOOK: Residents of Bahamas expect help to arrive soon after the passage of Hurricane Dorian
But the island's grounds now look like devastated wastelands.
Injured residents cannot reach a hospital because it is blocked by submerged cars. An airport on the island was ruined. And a road that led to him was suddenly replaced by a river.
Between Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands, about 60,000 people may urgently need food aid, the World Food Program said.
So you can help the victims of Hurricane Dorian
The houses seem to have been put in a blender
Countless Bahamians lost their homes after the passage of Hurricane Dorian.
Even new homes built under stricter building codes were destroyed, said Brandon Clement, who filmed images of the destruction from a helicopter.
An older neighborhood was wiped out, he said.
"You can't say there are houses there," he said. "It seems that a lot of building materials were put in a large mill and thrown to the ground."
The Abaco Islands suffered massive destruction, the prime minister said, with 60% of homes in the city of Marsh Harbor damaged.
A catastrophically slow storm
The Bahamians endured Dorian's brute force for days, as the hurricane moved only 50 km in 30 hours from Monday to Tuesday.
READ: Tourism represents 60% of the Bahamas economy. Dorian could devastate the industry
By Wednesday morning, all tropical storm warnings for the country had been canceled. But the arduous recovery is just beginning.
"It's very difficult, but we'll get over it," said Daniel, the rescue volunteer.
Recovery will be especially difficult for Freeport resident Howard Armstrong. His wife drowned in front of him after a storm hit his home, leaving only their heads on the water.
The couple waited hours to be rescued before Armstrong's wife succumbed to hypothermia and slipped beneath the surface.
“I was standing on the kitchen cabinets until they disintegrated. And I went on with her, and she just drowned in front of me, ”Howard said. "It went so fast."
Patrick Oppman reported from Freeport, and Holly Yan reported and wrote from Atlanta. Madeline Holcombe, Mohammed Tawfeeq, Helena de Moura and Gianluca Mezzofiore of CNN contributed to this report.
Hurricane Dorian
