The Bahamas is still under grave distress nearly two weeks after Hurricane Dorian made landfall on September 1. Now the government is reporting an estimated 2,500 people missing, CNN reports. 

Carl Smith, of the Bahamas’ National Emergency Management Agency, said the list of missing persons is preliminary. 

While all the names have not been confirmed against government records, Smith urged people to continue submitting names through the hotline or in-person at the social services office, handling the missing people register, CNN reports.

“As we are able to cross-reference our data sets, we will be able to inform family members and reunite survivors with loved ones,” he said. 

The current death toll is at 50 but is expected to rise as search-and-rescue crews continue looking for survivors in the areas hit worst by the hurricane -- the Grand Bahama and Abaco islands. 

Now, as many Bahamians seek refuge in the U.S. after their homes were destroyed by Dorian, the Trump administration said they will not grant temporary protected status (TPS) to them, which would have allowed Bahamians to work and live in the U.S. until deemed safe for them to return home. 

“The Bahamians impacted by Hurricane Dorian are facing a humanitarian crisis, and the American government, international partners and private organizations continue to support them with aid and services,” an unnamed White House official told CBS News, also admitting, “At this time we do not plan to invoke Temporary Protected Status for those currently in the United States.”