ABC News September 6, 2019

Before and after images reveal devastating effects of Hurricane Dorian on the Bahamas

WATCH: Death toll from Dorian climbs to 30 in Bahamas

When Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm, it wrecked havoc on the idyllic islands. Satellite images taken in 2018 and on Thursday show in great detail Dorian's destructive force on Great Abaco Island, where some of the worst damage occurred.

Hurricane force winds ripped apart buildings and tossed ships ashore. Whole towns and the local airport became submerged, complicating rescue and relief efforts.

"I have never seen destruction like this on this scale on an island before," ABC News correspondent Marcus Moore told "Good Morning America" Tuesday from Marsh Harbour, a town in the Abaco Islands.

(MORE: Dramatic video shows people in Bahamas swimming through rushing floodwaters)

A U.S. State Department official said the Abaco Islands' Leonard M. Thompson International Airport is completely underwater.

(MORE:Tourism industry, celebrities offer aid after Hurricane Dorian pummels the Bahamas)

Helicopters were deployed to airlift people from the Marsh Harbour Clinic to Nassau where relief efforts were being coordinated.

(MORE: Hurricane Dorian's path: The latest forecast for the Carolinas)

The death toll in the Bahamas reached 30 on Thursday, but Health Minister Dr. Duane Sands told a local radio station that the final death count will be "staggering."

Maxar Technologies via Reuters
Before Hurricane Dorian struck Green Turtle Cay off Great Abaco Island in a satellite image taken Oct. 25, 2018.
Maxar Technologies via Reuters
After Hurricane Dorian struck Green Turtle Cay off Great Abaco Island, Bahamas in a satellite image taken Sept. 5, 2019.
Maxar Technologies via AP
Before Hurricane Dorian struck Marsh Harbor marinas on Great Abaco, Bahamas in a satellite photo taken Oct. 25, 2018.
Maxar Technologies via AP
After Hurricane Dorian struck Marsh Harbor marinas on Great Abaco, Bahamas in a satellite photo taken Sept. 5, 2019.
Maxar Technologies via Reuters
Before Hurricane Dorian struck downtown Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island, Bahamas, in a satellite image taken Oct. 25, 2018.
Maxar Technologies via Reuters
After Hurricane Dorian struck downtown Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island, Bahamas, in a satellite image taken Sept. 5, 2019.
Maxar Technologies via Reuters
Before Hurricane Dorian strck northwestern Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island, Bahamas, in a satellite image taken Oct. 25, 2018.
Maxar Technologies via Reuters
After Hurricane Dorian struck northwestern Marsh Harbour on Great Abaco Island, Bahamas, in a satellite image taken Sept. 5, 2019.
Maxar Technologies via Reuters
Before:Leonard Thompson International Airport on Great Abaco Island before Hurricane Dorian struck the Bahamas in a satellite image taken Oct. 25, 2018.
Maxar Technologies via Reuters
After: Leonard Thompson International Airport on Great Abaco Island after Hurricane Dorian swept through the Bahamas, in a satellite image taken Sept. 5, 2019.