IT IS almost six years since Hurricane Dorian – but its after-effects, both physical and mental, still remain with us.

That can be seen in some of the stories in today’s Tribune – but it can also be seen and heard if you take a few moments to talk with those who went through the horrors of that storm.

The topic came up at a recent family gathering. Several family members from Abaco talked of how for many the impact still lingers.

It can be a simple thing – a repair that hasn’t been finished, even a small one – that prompts the memories. Or it can be bigger than that – the empty lot where a neighbour lived. An empty place in someone’s heart for a relative who died in the storm.

One said tellingly that everyone who went through the storm should have some kind of therapy, some kind of treatment for post-traumatic stress. It does not matter, they said, how much they seem like they are fine, how much they put one foot in front of the other and carry on – they all need help.

Yesterday, The Tribune spoke to people in Sweeting’s Cay who remain determined to recover after the storm.

Shervin Tate is the chief councillor there, and he said that many are still hurting. He talked of how his mother “lost five nieces and nephews”. He said he had buried his father and his brother this year – who “never had the chance to return to their home before they passed”.

He said: “There is still a lot of sorrow inside of us, even though you may see us laugh.”

The trauma is reflected in numbers too. Before Dorian, there were more than 200 residents on Sweeting’s Cay. Now there are less than half that number. Mr Tate estimates it at 75-80 people.

He said: “Each day, the numbers are depleting because of the lack of homes and jobs. We need the same opportunities as every other Bahamian so people can stay in their homes and rebuild their lives here.”

That infrastructure needs to be rebuilt – and infrastructure came up in another discussion yesterday.

Bahamas Power and Light (BPL) announced a series of rebates for islands badly affected by power outages.

Abaco misses out on that rebate – even though it is still struggling with power. One of the reasons for that is that recovery work is still ongoing after Dorian. That work includes commissioning the Marsh Harbour station and completing the transmission line between Treasure Cay and Cooper’s Town.

Six years on and still plenty to do.

As we approach the anniversary of the storm on September 1, remember those who went through that monster category five event.

Listen to them. Talk to them. Let them say what is on their minds.

There is still plenty to do to physically clear up in the aftermath – and some of that lies in the hands of government. But perhaps there is even more to help the mental state of the survivors. And that’s up to all of us. We owe it to our fellow Bahamians to listen.