New storm hits hurricane-ravaged Bahamas, could become tropical storm

A new storm brought rain and wind to the hurricane-ravaged Bahamas early Friday, with the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre warning it could turn into a tropical storm.

Early Friday, a tropical disturbance over the central Bahamas packed winds of 45km/h and expected to drop 8 to 13cm of rain through Sunday, the NHC said.

There is an 80 percent chance that it will turn into a stronger tropical depression, or even a tropical storm named Humberto, in the next day or so as it crawls at 5km/h across the Bahamas and takes aim at Florida, the NHC said.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for the Northwestern Bahamas, including hurricane-hit Abacos and Grand Bahama, the NHC said.

The storm is expected to pick up speed as it moves northwest on Friday and could hit Florida on Saturday, it said.

A tropical storm watch was issued for portions of the coast of east-central Florida late Thursday and South Florida could see tropical storm force winds as early as Friday evening, the NHC said.

Hurricane Dorian slammed into the Bahamas on September 1 as a Category 5 storm, one of the strongest Atlantic hurricanes on record to hit land, packing top sustained winds of 298 km/h.

The tropical cyclone was not expected to bring anywhere near that level of devastation.

With 1,300 people still missing, according to the Bahamian government, relief services are focused on search-and-rescue, as well as providing life-sustaining food, water and shelter.

Aid groups rushed shelter material to residents living in the shells of former homes.

"We're seeing plastic tarps go out all over the islands, and that's extremely important because now you've got another tropical storm coming," said Ken Isaacs, vice president of programs for US relief organisation Samaritan's Purse.

The prime minister of the Bahamas, Hubert Minnis, on Wednesday said the official death toll stood at 50 but was expected to rise.

Minnis said there were problems coordinating aid due to the level of devastation and he was trying to remove "bureaucratic roadblocks".

Former prime minister Hubert Ingraham said he believed "hundreds" were dead on Abaco "and significant numbers on Grand Bahama", the Nassau Guardian newspaper reported on Thursday.

Officials have erected large tents in Nassau to house those made homeless by Dorian and plan to erect tent cities on Abaco capable of sheltering up to 4,000 people.