Hurricane Dorian has brought a ‘historic tragedy’ to the Bahamas after stalling over the islands for 40 hours and pounding them with ferocious winds and surging seawaters that destroyed thousands of homes and left at least five people dead.
The Category 5 storm flooded the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama with walls of water that lapped into the second floors of buildings, trapped people in attics and drowned the Grand Bahama airport under six feet of water.
Fearsome 120mph winds were still battering Grand Bahama early this morning as Dorian refused to budge, coming to an ‘unprecedented’ stop just north of the island.
People were forced to flee the floodwaters from one shelter to another amid reports of a five-month-old baby stranded on a roof and a woman with six grandchildren who cut a hole to escape.
At least five people died and 21 injured people were airlifted to the capital by the U.S. Coast Guard, Bahamas officials said.
‘We are in the midst of a historic tragedy,’ Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said. ‘The devastation is unprecedented and extensive.’
Meanwhile evacuations are under way in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina where heavy rain and even possible tornadoes are predicted today.
The storm has weakened but is still a powerful Category 3 hurricane, and could cause highly dangerous storm surges on the U.S. coast even if it does not make landfall.
Disney World will close early today as Florida braces for impact amid fears that the storm could veer off course and hit the mainland.
Devastation: The aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas where houses were destroyed and streets flooded with rain and seawater after the Category 5 storm stalled over the islands
Cars are stranded in a flooded street in Nassau in the Bahamas yesterday as the storm brought up to 30 inches of rain
Houses are badly damaged and covered in debris and fallen trees in the wake of Hurricane Dorian which has pounded the Bahamas for more than 40 hours
The Bahamas are flooded by the torrential rain and 120mph winds of Hurricane Dorian
A woman walks in a flooded street after the effects of Hurricane Dorian arrived in Nassau, Bahamas
A palm tree bends in the wind while a car is stranded in a flooded street amid torrential rain of up to 30 inches in the Bahamas
Buildings are badly damaged by the storm and trees toppled over in front of them after Dorian battered the Bahamas
Hurricane Dorian devastated the Bahamas, leaving at least five people dead and dozens injured. The storm is forecast to head towards the east coast
Stalled: A photos taken from the international space station shows Hurricane Dorian’s eye over the Bahamas
The National Hurricane Center shared a photo mapping out Hurricane Dorian’s possible path, with the storm reaching Florida on Tuesday
One woman from the Bahamas shared this harrowing video from her home in Abaco showing her house so severely flooded that her furniture was floating in the murky waters
A video shared on Twitter showed a Bahama resident’s home flooded with water sloshing along the second story
Dorian made landfall on Sunday and was expected to move towards Florida by Monday evening but has almost come to a stop over the Bahamas.
‘This is unprecedented,’ said Jeff Masters, meteorology director at Weather Underground. ‘We’ve never had a Category 5 stall for so long in the Atlantic hurricane record.’
By midnight, the storm was centered 25 miles from Freeport, roughly the same distance it was at 9am yesterday morning.
The storm brought 220mph gusts and up to 30 inches rain, gripping Freeport with fear as winds tore off shutters and water began entering homes.
Initial estimates are that 13,000 homes may have been destroyed.
Two of the designated storm shelters flooded and many residents were left to their own devices as police chief Samuel Butler admitted: ‘We simply cannot get to you’.
Bahamian officials said they received a ‘tremendous’ number of calls from people in flooded homes as wind and rain continued to pound the islands.
One radio station said it received more than 2,000 distress messages, including reports of a five-month-old baby stranded on a roof.
A message from Kendra Williams, who lives on Grand Bahama, said: ‘We are under water; we are up in the ceiling. Can someone please assist us or send some help. Please. Me and my six grandchildren and my son, we are in the ceiling.’
Bahamian lawmaker Iram Lewis said his greatest fear was that waters would keep rising overnight and that stranded people would lose contact with emergency services as their phone batteries died.
‘It is scary,’ he said, adding that Grand Bahama’s airport was six feet underwater and that people were moving shelters as floodwaters kept surging.
Capsized boats floated in muddy brown water dotted with wooden boards, tree branches and other debris.
Some injured residents from a clinic on Great Abaco Island arrived in Nassau to receive medical treatment after being transported by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter.
A street is flooded in Nassau after the Category 5 hurricane made landfall in the Bahamas and refused to budge
Huge parts of the Bahamas are underwater amid reports of toddlers and elderly people being stranded on roofs
A picture taken by NASA astronaut Christian Koch shows Hurricane Dorian as seen from the International Space Station
Florida may experience power outages, beach erosion, high surf, coastal flooding and five inches of rain. The storm has been downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane but remains dangerous
Bahamian foreign minister Darren Henfield said the full scope of damage cannot be assessed until the weather has begun to clear.
‘We have reports of casualties. We have reports of bodies being seen. We cannot confirm those reports until we go out and have a look for ourselves,’ he said.
‘Power lines are down, lamp posts are down, trees are across the street – it is very dangerous to be outdoors if you don’t have to be outdoors.’
‘As soon as the weather permits, first responders will go to those areas where we have reports from individuals who were in distress.’
Seven -year-old Lachino Mcintosh became the first victim of the hurricane when he drowned near his family’s home in Abaco, according to reports in the Bahamas. His sister is also said to be missing.
As of Monday evening, the ZNS Bahamas reported that a storm surge would cause water to rise 18 feet to 23 feet above normal tide levels.
The NHC warned of a 12- to 18-foot storm surge above tide levels in parts of Grand Bahama, accompanied by large and destructive waves, saying that people on the island should ‘remain in shelter.’
Abaco and Grand Bahama, neither much more than 40 feet (12 meters) above sea level at their highest points, are home to some 70,000 people.
The storm made landfall with wind speeds of 185mph on Sunday, making it the joint-most powerful hurricane ever to hit land – matching the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 and Hurricanes Gilbert (1988) and Wilma (2005).
Dorian also killed one person in Puerto Rico at the start of its path through the Caribbean.
On the U.S. coast, evacuations began in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina while Virginia and North Carolina have declared a state of emergency before the storm rolls up the eastern seaboard.
Motorists travel out of Charleston on Interstate 26 after the state ordered some 830,000 people to evacuate
Redick: ‘We’re going to plan and prepare for that. We’re not going to let our guard down because of the track’
Some injured residnts from Great Abaco Island’s Marsh Harbor arrive in Nassau to receive medical treatment after U.S. Coast Guards transported them in a helicopter
The National Hurricane Center said Dorian would move ‘dangerously close to the Florida east coast’ on Tuesday before moving northward towards Georgia and South Carolina.
While it is expected to stay offshore, experts have warned that ‘only a small deviation’ could bring it towards land, with Orlando and even Disney World potentially in its path if it veers off course.
‘This storm at this magnitude could really cause massive destruction. Do not put your life in jeopardy by staying behind when you have a chance to get out,’ warned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who spoke with President Trump Monday morning.
Florida Senator Rick Scott wrote on Twitter that ‘a slight wobble west’ would bring the storm ‘on shore with devastating consequences.’
‘If you’re in an evacuation zone, get out NOW. We can rebuild your home. We can’t rebuild your life,’ he said.
Florida is already beginning to feel the effects of Dorian, with heavy rain and gusty winds forecast, and the possibility of tornadoes on Tuesday, the Miami-based NHC said.
Walt Disney World near Orlando has announced it will close early on Tuesday amid warnings that the hurricane could yet veer off course.
‘We are closely monitoring the progress of the storm and are making operational adjustments as needed,’ the attraction’s website said.
In southern Florida’s Port Saint Lucie – a low-income area where mobile home parks stood all-but emptied of their residents – Dan Peatle, 78, fled his retirement community to take shelter in a hotel.
‘It makes me sick. I don’t like it,’ he said.
‘I’ve been through seven or eight of them since I’ve been in Florida, since ’73. And, they’re all the same, you know. Tear everything up, put it back together. But, I chose to live here so I might as well live with it, you know.’
Strong winds from Hurricane Dorian pictured blowing the tops of trees and whisking the surface waters of a canal in Freeport, Grand Bahama on Labor Day Monday. Dorian will continue to batter the Bahamas today but will travel ‘dangerously’ close to Florida tonight before dancing up the southeastern U.S. coast
Minister of Agriculture and Marco City MP Michael Pintard shared this video showing the floodwaters of Hurricane Dorian rising against his door and inside his Grand Bahama home, despite it being 20 feet above ground, on Monday
The water level appeared poised to rise to the second floor of the home in Abaco, The Bahamas on Monday
Wrecked houses: These jarring images offer an inside look at the extent of Hurricane Dorian’s devastation that wrecked 13,000 homes. In this home in Marsh Harbor, Bahamas the floor appears to suffer water damage and the roof is fallen in
Strong winds batter Oceanhill Boulevard in Freeport, as Hurricane Dorian passes over Grand Bahama Island this morning
Strong winds and rain hitting the Bahamas Monday morning as the hurricane lingered over Grand Bahama, moving westward at just 1mph
Bracing for impact: Storm surges started to hit Florida on Monday. A couple pictured above getting splashed by the waves of Hurricane Dorian at Jupiter Beach in Florida
Dorian’s furious waves already started to reach Florida on Monday, splashing locals to braved the beach despite warnings
Daredevil: Some brave surfers in Boca Raton, Florida took to the dangerous waters to ride the surges as Dorian swirled closer
Getting closer: Monster waves washed up the Vero Beach, Florida coast ahead of Hurricane Dorian on Labor Day Monday
Here comes the wind: Tropical storm force winds started to hit Florida. This mother watches the high surf with her kids as winds from Dorian blow them backwards
Getting the last minute needs: This woman’s umbrella was broken in the gusting winds in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on Monday as she rushed to a Walmart as Dorian is expected to come dangerously close to the coast this evening
The U.S. gets ready: At least one million people in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have been given mandatory evacuation orders effective as soon as today as Dorian is expected to hit Florida over the next two days, then Georgia and South Carolina later in the week
On Monday 530 flights in Florida were cancelled as a result of the perilous weather as Dorian swirled closer to the U.S.
Lachino Mcintosh, eight, is reported to have drowned near his family’s home in Abaco, the Bahamas
More than 9,500 people have taken cover in 121 shelters in Florida, according to the state’s Division of Emergency Management.
Another of them is 30-year-old Stefanie Passieux, who took shelter along with her two children and mother.
‘I came yesterday, as soon as it opened. They said we were in a state of emergency so I came,’ she said. ‘My dad is staying with the cats, but we left. He never leaves. He doesn’t do shelters.’
By Tuesday morning the storm had been downgraded to a Category 3 hurricane but it is still causing 120mph winds and up to 30 inches of rain.
A hurricane watch was in effect for Florida’s East Coast from Deerfield Beach north to South Santee River in South Carolina. A storm surge watch was extended northward to South Santee River in South Carolina. Lake Okeechobee was under a tropical storm watch.
In South Carolina some 830,000 people were ordered to evacuate as all lanes of Interstate 26 out of Charleston were reversed on Monday to allow motorists to head inland.
The measures came in earlier than planned after traffic jams from evacuees and vacationers heading home on Labor Day, Governor Henry McMaster said.
Georgia has also ordered mandatory evacuations on its Atlantic coast.
More than 1,300 flights have been cancelled already with another 1,000 set to be scrapped today, many involving Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Miami airports.
A National Guard official, John Anderson, said many people were complying with the evacuation orders. ‘We have not seen much resistance at all,’ he said.
Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency yesterday although state officials are yet to order any evacuations.
Norfolk director of emergency preparedness and response, Jim Redick, said the city has already begun preparing for an emergency situation and has started clearing ditches and storm pipes.
‘We’re going to plan and prepare for that,’ he told the Virginia Pilot. ‘We’re not going to let our guard down because of the track.’
The U.S. Coast Guard said crews were heading to the Bahamas on Monday for a rapid Dorian repose, traveling from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater in Florida by MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and staging on Andros Island
Coast Guard members pictured at the Air Station Clearwater before flying to Andros Island for a Hurricane Dorian response
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp holds a Hurricane Dorian briefing at the Glynn County Public Safety Complex after ordering 6 counties to evacuate on Monday
Local business in Flager Beach, Florida shut down on Labor Day Monday in anticipation of the hurricane strike
A local business that survived two prior hurricanes in St. Augustine boarded up their shop yet again, checking off Hurricane Matthew Irma and now hoping to survive Dorian
A digger is deployed to help people evacuate from the wreckage of Storm Dorian as it lingered over the Bahamas this morning
One person caught up in the hurricane called for ‘prayers’ saying that they were ‘stuck’ in the aftermath of the storm
This satellite image shared Monday at 4pm ET shows Dorian swirling over the Bahamas, perilously close to the coast of Florida
Dorian’s path of destruction: This map released Monday at 5pm by the NHC predicts that Dorian will hit the south east U.S. coast over the next few days. There’s still a possibility that it won’t make landfall at all in Florida. Dorian will then spiral up the eastern coast, bringing with it wind and rain
As of 3pm Monday Dorian was just 105 east of West Palm Beach Florida. This map shows the path of the storm at 4pm EST
As of 4pm Monday Dorian will skirt Miami and Orlando Tuesday morning, pass near Charleston, South Carolina by Wednesday morning then veer off Hatteras, North Carolina by Friday morning and spiral off into the Atlantic
Indian River Police and Fire pictured in a morning briefing meeting preparing for Dorian to hit
Indian River Shores Police Chief Rich Rosell pictured visiting residents who decided to stay on the barrier island, even though Dorian was just miles away
Bunkering down: Two locals in St. Augustine, Florida place plastic over their donut shop to protect it from Dorian’s wrath
The Battle in the Bahamas
As Florida braces for impact, Dorian is taking its time over the northern Bahamas in a slow, relentless advance, leaving wrecked homes, shredded roofs, tumbled cars and toppled power poles in its wake.
Dorian will continue to send wind gusts of up to 200mph and storm surge up to 23 feet above normal tide on Grand Bahama Island on Monday, ‘causing extreme destruction on the island’, as per the NHC.
As the Bahamas are battered, very little information has come from the affected areas of the island. Emergency numbers were reportedly not working Monday afternoon, making rescue efforts challenging.
Officials said before the lines cut out they’ve received a ‘tremendous’ number of calls from people in flooded homes and a radio station received more than 2,000 distress messages – including reports of a five-month-old baby stranded on a roof and a grandmother with six grandchildren who cut a hole in a roof to escape the dangerous fast-rising floodwaters.
So far only eight-year-old Lachino’s Mcintosh has been named as a fatal victim of the storm.
First responders traveled to Abaco Monday morning, as locals are ordered to remain indoors to avoid floodwaters and downed trees and power lines.
‘We need you to bunker down. It’s going to be another 10-12 hours that we’re going to be bombarded with this,’ Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama, warned.
Thompson said despite receiving distress calls about rising floodwaters, rescuers were unable to respond to them due to violent conditions.
Some authorities were instead urging locals to find flotation devices and grab household tools like hammers to break out of their attics if they get trapped by the hurricane, as per WKMG.
On Sunday the Bahamas ministry of tourism said some 80 tourists remained on the affected Islands Saturday evening.
The country’s Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said the ‘devastation is unprecedented’.
The U.S. Coast Guard said crews were heading to the Bahamas on Monday for a rapid Dorian repose, traveling from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater in Florida by MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and staging on Andros Island.
Information began emerging from the affected islands, with Bahamas Power and Light saying there is a total blackout in New Providence, the archipelago’s most populous island.
Most people went to shelters as the Category 5 storm approached, with tourist hotels shutting down and residents boarded up their homes. But many people were expected to be left homeless.
Harrowing video and photos from the hurricane show capsized boats floating in muddy brown water dotted with wooden boards, downed tree branches, water-inundated streets, and flooded homes.
‘These hazards will continue over Grand Bahama Island during most of the day, causing extreme destruction on the island,’ the National Hurricane Center said today.
Calling it a ‘life-threatening situation’, the agency warned of ‘catastrophic storm surge flooding’ on Grand Bahama, urging residents to stay indoors.
Prime Minister Minnis broke down in tears as he addressed a news conference, calling it ‘probably the most sad and worst day of my life.’
‘We’re facing a hurricane… one that we’ve never seen in the history of the Bahamas,’ he said.
The hurricane made its first landfall on the Abaco Islands on Sunday afternoon, causing ‘catastrophic conditions’ with a storm surge of 18-23 feet.
Wreckage in the wake of Hurricane Dorian which made landfall in the Bahamas on Sunday afternoon
Devastation in the wake of Hurricane Dorian as boats were left upturned by the fierce storm
A lightning strike is seen during stormy weather at Atlantis Bahamas Resort in Paradise Island on Sunday evening
The Category 5 hurricane is seen from the International Space Station on Sunday as it made landfall in the Bahamas
This view from a weather satellite showed Hurricane Dorian making landfall in the Bahamas on Sunday afternoon
Dorian first came ashore Sunday at Elbow Cay in Abaco island at 12.40pm, then made a second landfall near Marsh Harbour at 2pm.
In parts of Abaco ‘you cannot tell the difference as to the beginning of the street versus where the ocean begins’, said Prime Minister Minnis.
Despite the social media posts shared by Abaco residents showing their house roofs ripped off, smashed and overturned cars, and devastated streets, officials warned people against venturing out into the eye of the storm to take such videos.
Bahamas Minister for Agriculture shared a jarring video on Facebook showing the flood waters inundating his home in Grand Bahama, even though his home is already 20 feet above ground. Water is seen rising and beating against the windows and doors of his home.
Evacuation orders take effect in the U.S.
In the U.S., at least one million people are under evacuation orders in South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Mandatory evacuation orders took effect on Monday at 8am in Florida, when state troopers would begin reversing lanes so that traffic can head inland on major coastal highways.
Current Florida evacuations include Brevard, Duval, Indian River, Martin, Nassau, Palm Beach, St. Johns, St. Lucie, and Volusia Counties. The evacuation includes Palm Beach County which is home to President Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.
There are also currently storm surge warnings and watches in effect in Florida’s east coast counties.
The entire coast of South Carolina, impacting 800,000 people was ordered to evacuate starting noon Monday.
In Georgia Governor Brian Kemp ordered all six coastal counties east of Interstate 95 to evacuate starting noon Monday.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster says he is taking no chances despite forecasts saying that the storm will move parallel to the coast. His evacuation order is the fourth evacuation order for some locals in four years.
‘We can’t make everybody happy,’ McMaster said. ‘But we believe we can keep everyone alive.’
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned his state that it could see heavy rain, winds and floods later in the week.
While many residents have evacuated, some prefer to stay inside their homes and weather out the impending storm.
Indian River Shores has the smallest police department on Florida’s Treasure Coast and the only police department whose officers are staying on a barrier island to watch over their sedentary locals.
‘Our residents expect a concierge service,’ Indian River Shores Police Chief Rich Rosell told Jose Lambiet. ‘And a concierge service is what they get. That’s why they pay taxes.’
He gave advice, his cellphone number and assurance to the estimated 50 people who chose to stay in the coastal town with a population of 4,000.
Those people included a an elderly bed-ridden woman waiting for the storm with a caretaker.
A business man who wouldn’t evacuate without his prized corvette.
A woman who wouldn’t go to a shelter without her dog.
‘The last thing these residents (who stayed behind) need is to feel abandoned,’ Rosell says. ‘Their closest family members might be living 1,000 miles away. In some cases, we are the only family they’ve got.’
If everyone evacuates, Rosell says he and his 15 police officers would close the headquarters and leave the area with their families.
But he won’t try to convince stragglers to leave.
‘I’d never suggest that they have to go,’ he said. ‘Some of them would get mad. Other departments pressure residents to leave. That’s not how I see my job.’
The storm from space: Hurricane Dorian is seen from the International Space Station in a picture released by NASA, as it tied the record for the strongest storm ever to make landfall last night
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster announces mandatory evacuation orders on Sunday as Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 monster, slowly creeps its way up toward the state’s coastline
The evacuation orders, which go into effect on Monday, cover the entire coastline, which is home to more than 830,000 residents
The slow-moving hurricane is expected to take days to creep toward the southeastern US coastline
Raging floodwaters are seen above in the northern Bahamas where Hurricane Dorian pounded the archipelago
Several gasoline stations around Titusville were closed. Many grocery stores were open but boarded up. Inside, shelves emptied out fast.
Florida’s preparations for the hurricane strike hasn’t been without issue. On Monday photos emerged showing alleged price gouging throughout the state.
In one instance a Shall gas station was allegedly selling a case of water that typically costs $3.98 for a whopping $9.
In West Palm Beach gas was selling for $4.09 a gallon, nearly double the $2.79 it was selling at last week.
The attorney general’s office is allegedly fielding some 2,100 alleged price gouging allegations following the hurricane warnings.
Orlando International Airport also announced it will close on Tuesday in Florida as the region is under Tropical Storm watch bracing for winds between 40 and 45mph.
Specialists say strong winds and dangerous storm surge are increasingly likely along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
‘Tropical-storm-force winds are mostly likely to start in Georgia early on Wednesday, in South Carolina late Wednesday, and in North Carolina early Thursday,’ the National Weather Service said today.
In Washington, President Donald Trump met with his emergency management chiefs yesterday and declared ‘this looks monstrous.’
However, Trump also sowed confusion by claiming that Alabama was under threat from the storm.
The weather service later slapped him down, without mentioning him by name, promising that ‘Alabama will NOT see any impacts from Dorian’.
On top of that, Trump sparked bafflement with his claim that ‘I’m not sure that I’ve ever even heard of a Category 5’, despite Dorian being the fourth such storm to threaten the United States since he took office.
With its maximum sustained winds of 185mph and gusts up to 220mph, Dorian tied the record for the most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever to come ashore, equaling the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, before the storms were named.
It was also tied with Hurricanes Gilbert (2005) and Wilma (1988).
The map above shows the projected path of the hurricane, though experts warn that it could veer off course and hit the mainland United States
Power lines were down and many homes reduced to rubble, with Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis saying ‘you cannot tel the difference as to the beginning of the street versus the ocean
The image above shows homes that were destroyed after they were submerged by the floodwaters in the Bahamas
Strong winds move the palms of the palm trees at the first moment of the arrival of Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Grand Bahama
The Hurricane made landfall twice, causing devastation across the Bahamas. Winds of up to 185mph and gusts of 22mph were snapping trees, ripping the roofs off of homes
Some restaurants and stores in Stuart, Florida remained open despite being boarded up in anticipation of the hurricane
Pusateri’s Pizza in Stuart boarded up its windows while reminding the public that it has braved other hurricanes in the past
Swimmers went to the beach at Hutchinson Island, which is not far from the town of Port St. Lucie
Power and light trucks from out of state travel down the I-95 towards South Florida to help with the possible power outages
This gas station and restaurant in Stuart is boarded up but still operating as of Sunday afternoon
Locals board up homes and businesses in Stuart. The National Hurricane Center forecasts the center of Dorian is to stay off shore while paralleling the South Carolina coast starting Wednesday afternoon
There was no sign of the hurricane on the beach at Hutchinson Island as locals and tourists relaxed on Sunday
A Martin County Sheriff’s Office vehicle drives around Sailfish Point, announcing mandatory evacuation orders over a loudspeaker on Sunday
Miguel Vidal, of West Palm Beach, catches a wave at Fort Pierce Inlet State Park on Sunday
The image above was photographed from the inside of the eye of Hurricane Dorian as it hovered over the Bahamas on Sunday
The fierce wind gusts nearly toppled this entire gas station in the Bahamas on Sunday
Debris from a home which collapsed and had its roof torn off is seen floating in floodwaters in the northern Bahamas on Sunday
Raging floodwaters engulfed the northern Bahamas on Sunday as the slow-moving Category 5 hurricane dumped buckets of rain
The damage to the interior of a home in the northern Bahamas is seen above. The roof appears to have been torn off while pieces of the wall look to have collapsed
Sea conditions are seen in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas on Sunday in this still image taken from a video posted to social media
The Bahamian government said that some parts of Marsh Harbour, which is in Abaco, were underwater
Photos posted by locals on social media showed flooding and impassible roads in Marsh Harbour
A man stands on a store’s roof as he works to prepare it for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian in Freeport on Sunday
This video grab handout Facebook image obtained on Sunday courtesy of Rich Roberts shows storm activity in Man-O-War Cay, Bahamas
Man-O-War Cay is a small island in the Abaco region of the Bahamas. According to the 2010 census, the population of Man-O-War Cay was at 215
Yolande Rolle carries sandbags to place at her shop’s doorstep as she prepares for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian in Freeport on Sunday
The slow-moving hurricane is expected to pass over Freeport sometime during the afternoon on Monday
A baby sleeps inside a church that was opened up as a shelter for residents who will wait out Hurricane Dorian in Freeport on Grand Bahama, Bahamas on Sunday
Local resident David Flint Wood captured this video of the effect Hurricane Dorian is already having on Harbour Island in the Bahamas Sunday morning
The National Hurricane Center is urging people in the Bahamas to stay inside as the eye passes over
STUNNING IMAGES SHOW THE ‘STADIUM EFFECT’ FROM THE EYE OF HURRICANE DORIAN
The eye of Hurricane Dorian is seen from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft during a reconnaissance mission over the Atlantic Ocean on Saturday
Hurricane hunters snapped dramatic photographs showing the inside of Dorian’s eye.
An NOAA WP-3D Orion aircraft made the journey into the center of the Category 5 hurricane on Sunday afternoon as it wreaked havoc over the northern Bahamas.
It snapped breathtaking photographs showing a ‘stadium effect’ in which clouds form a kind of semi-circle while the sun shines above in clear blue skies.
It is called the stadium effect because the cloud formations resemble the ‘bowl’ of a sports stadium.
This is caused by air parcels which ascend in a spiral along the eyewall. This ascension causes the eye to appear larger as the altitude increases, creating the ‘stadium effect.’
The images were taken by meteorologists servings with the Air Force Reserves 53rd Weather Reconnaissance Squadron based at Keesler Air Force Base in Mississippi.
The ‘hurricane hunters’ were flying in a Super Hercules aircraft fitted with equipment that gathered information ranging from temperature, wind speed, wind direction, humidity, and surface pressure.
The eye of a storm is the calm center that usually measures between 20 and 40 miles in diameter.
It is surrounded by an eyewall, a ring of towering thunderstorms that pack the harshest thunderstorms and wind gusts.
It snapped breathtaking photographs showing a ‘stadium effect’ in which clouds form a kind of semi-circle while the sun shines above in clear blue skies. It is called the stadium effect because the cloud formations resemble the ‘bowl’ of a sports stadium
The archipelago is no stranger to hurricanes.
Homes are required to have metal reinforcements for roof beams to withstand winds into the upper limits of a Category 4 hurricane, and compliance is generally tight for those who can afford it.
Risks are higher in poorer neighborhoods, with wooden homes in low-lying areas.
Dorian is also tied for the strongest Atlantic hurricane landfall on record, on par with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane.
‘This is a life-threatening situation. Residents there should take immediate shelter. Do not venture into the eye if it passes over your location,’ the NHC said in an advisory after landfall.
As the eyewall of the storm hit the island, it bent utility poles and snapped trees and beat buildings with the howling wind.
Minnis announced Sunday parts of Marsh Harbor – a town of more than 6,000 – appeared to be ‘underwater’, sending desperate locals onto their roofs for shelter from the floodwaters.
In one heartbreaking video a mother is heard pleading for help and prayers as she is stuck in the upper level of her Abaco Islands home with her baby while huge floods of water inundate the street.
Hurricane Dorian intensified to a Category 5 on Sunday morning as it bore down on the northern Bahamas with howling winds, surging seas and a threat of torrential rains, forcing some evacuations and hotel closures. Dorian pictured above in this satellite image as it approaches the Bahamas and Florida early Sunday
Slamming down: Hurricane Dorian began to batter The Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas on Sunday afternoon with 180mph winds and wind gusts of over 200 mph
Video taken by locals show how the hurricane ripped the roof of local buildings as Dorian descended in the Bahamas, sending this apartment underwater
The Bahamas were hit with 185 mph winds and gusts of 220 mph as well as storm surges that exceeded 20-f
Landfall: This video shows the start of Hurricane Dorian’s wrath in Nassau in the Bahamas Sunday morning
Women pictured sitting on cots in a church that has been turned into a shelter for residents waiting out Hurricane Dorian in Freeport on Grand Bahama on Sunday as the storm made landfall
Waiting out the storm: A mother looks after her family on cots at a church turned into a shelter as Hurricane Dorian pounded down on the northern Bahama islands Sunday afternoon
The storm ‘is one that we have never seen in the history of the Bahamas,’ Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said during a Sunday press conference after Dorian touched down, adding the town of Marsh Harbor – home to 6,000 – appeared to be ‘underwater’. Minnis pictured Saturday
Shops in Palm Beach, Florida are shuttered and boarded up as Floridians brace for the possible impact of Dorian
The image above shows boarded up windows in Palm Beach, Florida on Saturday
Locals and tourists enjoy the beach before the arrival of Hurricane Dorian in St. Augustine, Florida on Saturday
Riverside Mobile Home Park resident Rob Chambers works to secure his neighbor’s air conditioner before leaving the park which is under mandatory evacuation in Jensen Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is already experiencing flooding thanks to one of the season’s highest tides of the year, a king tide. Pictured: Weston Rice drives through a flooded parking lot as he prepares to drop his jet ski into the water at the Haulover Marine Center on Friday
As much as 15 inches of rain could fall on the already flooded area. Pictured: People walk to their boat through a flooded parking lot at the Haulover Marine Center
Miami Beach residents Omar, left, and Endre Eles place hurricane shutters over windows ahead of Dorian on Friday
Workers cover stained glass windows with plywood sections at the Santa Maria del Mar Catholic Church in Flagler Beach, Florida, in preparation for Hurricane Dorian on Frida
Supplies at a Walmart in West Miami run low on Friday as residents prepare for Hurricane Dorian
Long lines form for gas at a Costco in Miami as a shortage of fuel spreads across the state
Food and other supplies are expected to disappear quickly as shoppers wait in a long line for a Sam’s Club store to open before sunrise
A supervised work crew of female jail prisoners fills sandbags for distribution to local residents in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian
Local residents wait in their vehicles to receive a limit of ten sandbags per car at a sandbag distribution location in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Dorian
The Florida Department of Emergency Management tweeted a lengthy checklist of supplies to have on hand on Wednesday
A resident fills gas cans in preparation for Hurricane Dorian on Thursday in Winter Springs, Florida
In Brevard County over 100 vehicles lined up at Thursday morning for free sandbags being filled by trustees from the Brevard County Jail
Florida’s most destructive hurricanes
Hurricane Andrew: This powerful Category 5 Atlantic hurricane battered the Bahamas, Florida and Louisiana in August 1992.
At the time it was the most destructive hurricane to ever hit Florida where it made landfall with wind speeds as high as 165mph, killing 65 people and causing $27.3billion in damage.
Homestead Florida residents picking through the debris left in the wake of the deadly Hurricane Andrew on August 24, 1992
Hurricane Irma: Irma was the strongest observed hurricane in the Atlantic causing at least 134 deaths in September 2017.
This Category 5 hurricane hit the Leeward Islands, the northeastern Caribbean and the Florida Keys.
Trees pictured bent in Hurricane Irma on Sept 10 2017 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Hurricane Michael: This category 5 hurricane was the first to strike the contiguous United States since Andrew in 1992.
The October 2018 storm killed 74 – including 59 in the U.S. and 15 in Central America.
It reached peak winds of 160mph before it made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida
A damaged home in Mexico Beach, Florida pictured above in the wake of Hurricane Michael