Photos show the destruction Hurricane Dorian has caused in the Bahamas from a punishing storm surge, up to 30 inches of rain, and 185 mph winds

• Hurricane Dorian lingered over the Bahamas for nearly three days, causing severe flooding, and killing at least seven people.
• About 13,000 homes are thought to be destroyed or badly damaged.
• These photos show the damage on the ground.
• Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis is already calling Hurricane Dorian’s prolonged stay over the Bahamas “a historic tragedy.” The mission for the country now, he said, is search, rescue, and recover.

Dorian made landfall on Sunday as a Category 5 storm. On Monday, it barely moved, inching along about 14 miles in 11 hours. Such slow movement meant that the Bahamas stayed within Dorian’s eyewall, the strongest part of the hurricane, for over a day, which few places on Earth have ever experienced.

It’s moved north now, but at least seven people have been killed, neighborhoods and roads have been flooded, and thousands of homes are ruined.

These photos show what the damage from Dorian is like in the Bahamas.

Businesses in Florida and the Bahamas boarded up in preparation for Hurricane Dorian. When the storm hit the Bahamas Sunday it was a Category 5, and tied for the strongest Atlantic hurricane on record.

Sources: Insider, The New York Times, ABC News

This storm hasn't been easy to forecast, and it's unusual for one to hover over a country the way that it has, leaving unfathomable flooding and damage in its wake.

Sources: Insider, The New York Times, ABC News

Few places on Earth have experienced being inside the eyewall of a Category 4 or 5 storm for so long, according to the Washington Post. Here, trees shudder and water is whipped up from Dorian's high winds.

Sources: Washington Post, ABC News

Maximum sustained winds were 185 mph on Sunday, with gusts up to 225 mph. By Tuesday, the winds were about 110 mph. The Bahamas have been battered — knocking down trees and power lines. One whole island fully lost power.

Source: Wall Street Journal

About 350,000 people live across the Bahamas. So far, at least seven people have been killed, 21 reported injured, and thousands of homes have been destroyed. People have moved to shelters to keep safe. Here, a family sits in a church on Grand Bahama, waiting for the storm to be over.

Sources: Wall Street Journal, NBC News, The Washington Post

People struggled to evacuate themselves and their pets, like this girl in Freeport, Bahamas, on Tuesday. The storm surge was projected to reach up to 23 feet in some areas.

Source: Insider

According to the National Hurricane Center, some parts of the Bahamas have had up to 30 inches of rain. It's caused streets and main highways to become rivers, in particular on Grand Bahama, according to a State Department Official.

Sources: The New York Times, ABC News

About 13,000 homes have been destroyed or damaged by the storm. Roofs have been ripped off and interiors have flooded.

Source: Wall Street Journal

The flooding has trapped people in attics and crippled hospitals in the Bahamas. More than half of Grand Bahama was submerged on Monday.

Source: New York Times

Boats will also be a big part of the lasting damage. In this photo, Dorian's sheer force can be seen in the way these boats have been thrown about.

The US Coast Guard deployed four helicopter crews to provide aid, and to help with search and rescue. An aerial shot from one of their helicopters shows a flooded airstrip.

Source: Wall Street Journal

The coast guard can be made out flying overhead here, helping with search and rescue. In the forefront, storm surge and wind from Dorian has tossed this catamaran onto a highway.

Here, first responders help someone after the worst of Dorian was over, but the rain wasn't.

Volunteers are doing their best. Here, families are being helped after they traveled by boat to escape the flooding. Allaya Hagigal, who survived the hurricane at her home in Nassau, told Insider on Tuesday that Bahamians are used to storms but weren't prepared for Dorian's destruction.

Source: Insider

Pets have had their lives tipped upside down, too. A volunteer holds a soaked dog he rescued from rapidly rising water, and looks out for its owner.

People in the Bahamas have begun to band together. Here, another driver pushes a man's stalled car through the floodwaters in Nassau.

Source: NBC News, ABC News

But Dorian may have done so much damage, some islands, like Abaco and Grand Bahama, might not fully recover for months or even years. Here, a woman surveys the flooded landscape.

Source: The Washington Post

For now, most people will have to continue waiting and try to keep safe, many in shelters like this family. As Prime Minister Hubert A. Minnis tweeted, many will be struggling in the aftermath. "We pray for their safety and will provide relief and assistance as soon as possible," he said.

Source: NBC News

On Wednesday morning, Dorian was a Category 2 storm slowly moving north up the US East Coast. The Bahamas will rebuild, but as one resident told The New York Times, "It's like we just need to be rescued and put on another island to start over again."

Sources: Insider, The New York Times