Bahamas Hurricane Survivors, Desperate for Respite, Seek Passage to U.S.

Nearly as many appeared to be headed to Florida, where they found local support.

Oneil Khosa, chief executive of Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line, said not one of some 1,200 passengers who arrived there on his humanitarian cruise on Saturday required transportation to onward destinations. Everyone either rented a car or was picked up by family members, he said.

On Monday, Johny Blanc, 33, was evacuated from Great Abaco along with his cousin Fedeline Melice-Adderley, 29, on a private plane. They were taken to Fort Lauderdale Executive Airport, where they were trying to figure out their next move.

Mr. Blanc and Ms. Melice-Adderley, both Haitians with United States visas, were trying to get to Orlando, Fla., where they had relatives, and said they had no intention of returning to the Bahamas.

“We don’t have nothing left,” said Mr. Blanc, who worked as a mason in the Bahamas. “We have no place else, we can’t go back.”

The hurricane had destroyed their homes, located in the sprawling shantytown in Marsh Harbour known as the Mudd. During the storm, Ms. Melice-Adderley’s only child, Jessica Marcelin, 12, was swept away in the storm surge and has been missing ever since.

A friend of the family said Jessica was spotted at the Marsh Harbour airport during the week, boarding an evacuation flight.

“They say that, but I don’t know,” Ms. Melice-Adderley said.

Both Mr. Blanc and Ms. Melice-Adderley have American visas that will expire in December, but they hope that the United States will accommodate them on a more permanent basis.