Hurricane Dorian was crawling across the Bahamas this morning as it battered the islands with 185mph winds that destroyed homes, shredded roofs and toppled power lines, with hundreds of thousands of Americans now preparing to evacuate as the storm moves into their path.
The Category 5 hurricane was lingering over the island of Grand Bahama today, causing ‘catastrophic conditions’ as it moved westward at just 1mph, wrecking 13,000 homes and leaving an airport under five feet of water.
Dorian made landfall with wind speeds of 185mph yesterday, making it the second-strongest Atlantic storm on record, and the joint-strongest ever to hit land.
A seven-year-old boy is believed to have drowned in the storm, which brought gusts up to 225mph and up to 30 inches of rain. Experts have warned of a possible storm surge that could send destructive waves barreling into the coast.
The storm is expected to move towards Florida later on Monday, as coastal dwellers flee their homes in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina amid warnings of ‘life-threatening’ weather conditions.
The U.S. seaboard is not currently forecast to take a direct hit, but experts say the storm is still ‘extremely dangerous’ and even a glancing blow could bring torrential rain and destructive winds.
In addition, Dorian could yet veer off course and hit the mainland, with Orlando and even Walt Disney World potentially under threat if the path of the storm changes.
‘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.
In Washington, President Donald Trump met with his emergency management chiefs and declared ‘this looks monstrous.’
Strong winds and rain hitting the Bahamas this morning as the hurricane lingered over Grand Bahama, moving westward at just 1mph
Strong winds batter Oceanhill Boulevard in Freeport, as Hurricane Dorian passes over Grand Bahama Island this morning
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
The path of Hurricane Dorian: This map shows the storm reaching Category 5 as it pounded into the Bahamas overnight. Residents on the eastern seaboard of the United States have been warned it will remain ‘extremely dangerous’
This satellite image shows Hurricane Dorian on Sunday afternoon with the islands of the Bahamas marked
A map showing the path and possible wind speeds of Hurricane Dorian which is expected to move up the Atlantic coast
The hurricane is shown perilously close to Florida (left) as it barrels into the Bahamas, causing devastation on the islands
Lachino Mcintosh, 7, is reported to have drowned near his family’s home in Abaco, the Bahamas
Today the hurricane was pounding at the northern Bahamas in a slow, relentless advance, leaving wrecked homes, shredded roofs, tumbled cars and toppled power poles in its wake.
This morning the storm was crawling westward at just 1mph, giving no respite to the Bahamas as it continues to lash the islands with destructive winds.
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.
Capsized boats floated in muddy brown water dotted with wooden boards, tree branches and other debris.
Dorian is expected to continue battering Grand Bahama through Monday, its top wind speeds still a menacing 165mph, before moving close to Florida’s coast Monday night through Wednesday evening.
The National Hurricane Center early Monday warned of ‘catastrophic storm surge flooding’ on Grand Bahama, urging residents to stay indoors.
‘This is a life-threatening situation,’ the NHC said.
‘Residents on Grand Bahama Island should not leave their shelter when the eye passes over, as winds will rapidly increase on the other side of the eye.’
The NHC warned of ‘storm surge 18 to 23 feet above normal tide levels with higher destructive waves.’
‘These hazards will cause extreme destruction in the affected areas and will continue for several hours,’ the agency said.
Up to 30 inches of rain are expected and Grand Bahama International Airport was said to be under five feet of water in the early hours of Monday.
Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert 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’ were with a storm surge of 18-23 feet, and Dorian was expected to cross Grand Bahama ‘with all its fury’.
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.
Seven-year-old Lachino Mcintosh became the first victim of the hurricane when he drowned near his family’s home in Abaco, according to Bahamas Press.
The young boy is reported to have drowned while his family was trying to seek shelter. Mcintosh’s sister, whose age is unknown, is also reported to be missing.
Footage taken by Abaco residents showed homes missing parts of their roofs, downed power lines and smashed and overturned cars.
Residents posted images of water rising up the side of their houses as the National Hurricane Center warned of a possible storm surge that could push destructive waves higher than many roofs in the islands.
However, officials warned people against venturing out into the eye of the storm to take such videos.
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
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
This National Weather Service map shows the possible path of Dorian – but experts warn that the East Coast could be battered by rain and winds even if it does not take a direct hit
In the northern stretches of the archipelago, hotels closed, residents boarded up homes and officials hired boats to move people to bigger islands.
On Sunday night, the hurricane had weakened slightly, with top sustained winds down to 180mph. Dorian is ‘expected to remain a powerful hurricane’ over the next few days, with possible fluctuations in intensity.
There was little other information from the affected islands, though officials expected many residents to be left homeless.
Most people went to shelters as the storm approached, with tourist hotels shutting down and residents boarded up their homes.
In the U.S., the order to evacuate takes effect at noon on Monday, when state troopers will begin reversing lanes so that people can all head inland on major coastal highways.
There are indications that the slow-moving Dorian will veer northeastward and track up the U.S. coast rather than making landfall on the mainland, but experts say it remains extremely dangerous.
‘Only a slight deviation would bring the core of Dorian near or over the Florida east coast’, forecasters warned.
Florida issued its first evacuation orders in parts of Palm Beach, home of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort, and Martin Counties.
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
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster says he is taking no chances despite forecasts saying that the storm will move parallel to the coast.
McMaster’s authorities say the order covers approximately 830,000 people, many of whom will be evacuating for the fourth time in four years.
‘We can’t make everybody happy,’ McMaster said. ‘But we believe we can keep everyone alive.’
Georgia’s governor Brian Kemp also ordered a mandatory evacuation of the state’s Atlantic coast, also starting at noon on Monday. Authorities in Florida ordered mandatory evacuations in some vulnerable coastal areas.
More than 600 Labor Day flights in the US had been cancelled as of Sunday afternoon, many of them in Florida as Dorian barrelled towards the state’s coast.
Julia Eaddy, 70, in Titusville, Florida, said she and her husband had ridden out several hurricanes before and were not fazed by the forecast.
‘I think it will be more of the same,’ she said.
Several gasoline stations around Titusville were closed. Many grocery stores were open but boarded up. Inside, shelves emptied out fast.
The National Hurricane Center has extended hurricane and storm surge watches northward in Florida to the Georgia state line as the Category 5 storm continues to pound the northern Bahamas.
The hurricane center warns of life-threatening storm surges and dangerous winds along portions of Florida’s east coast later in the week.
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.
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’
Hurricane specialists say there is also an increasing likelihood of strong winds and dangerous storm surge along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina later in the week when Dorian is expected to track up the Southeast seacoast.
Mandatory evacuation orders in Florida for low-lying and flood-prone areas and mobile homes cover from Palm Beach County north to at least the Daytona Beach area, and some counties to the north issued voluntary evacuation notices.
Weekend traffic was light in Florida despite those orders, unlike during the chaotic run-up to Hurricane Irma in 2017 when unusually broad Irma menaced the entire state.
Current forecasts show only Florida’s east coast is affected, meaning residents may choose to flee westward.
Governor Ron DeSantis said at a Sunday evening briefing that the light traffic might also be in part due to many residents being seasonal and living elsewhere or already having departed on Labor Day trips.
He says remaining residents need to closely monitor forecasts and announcements. ‘Please prepare, because this thing is a big boy,’ DeSantis said.
‘That could produce life-threatening storm surge and hurricane force winds,’ he said, adding that some forecast models still bring Dorian close to or even onto the Florida peninsula.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami says that although the official forecast does not show Dorian making landfall in Florida, the hurricane could deviate from that prediction and move very near or over the coast.
‘That cone of uncertainty still includes a lot of areas on the east coast of Florida and even into central and north Florida, so we are staying prepared and remaining vigilant,’ DeSantis said.
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 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
The National Hurricane Center forecasts Dorian to be 40 to 50 miles off the Florida coast on Tuesday and Wednesday, with hurricane-force wind speeds extending about 35 miles to the west.
The flight tracking site FlightAware counted 990 cancellations for Monday. Hundreds of them are flying into or out of Florida airports.
There are also cancellations in North Carolina, Atlanta, Maryland and elsewhere. In comparison, 336 flights had been canceled for Sunday.
Orlando International Airport, which so far is expected to see more than 100 cancellations, says it is monitoring the hurricane but remains open.
Florida resident Mike Lafferty boarded up his house near Vero Beach days ago.He says days of waiting can be bothersome, but it beats being caught unprepared.
The National Hurricane Center has a 60 percent chance of the Vero Beach area getting hurricane force winds before early Wednesday.
‘You have to be ready for it,’ Lafferty said.
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
Hurricane Dorian batters the Bahamas
Video authorities say is being circulated by residents of Abaco in the Bahamas shows homes missing parts of their roofs, utility lines down and cars overturned by Hurricane Dorian. One of the videos shows floodwaters rushing through the streets of an unidentified town.
Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis is lamenting the devastation from Dorian, a Category 5 monster that began battering northwest portions of the archipelago on Sunday.
He says that on parts of the island of Abaco, ‘you cannot tell the difference as to the beginning of the street versus where the ocean begins.’
According to the Nassau Guardian, Minnis is calling it ‘probably the most sad and worst day of my life to address the Bahamian people.’
‘It’s devastating,’ said Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism and Aviation.
‘There has been huge damage to property and infrastructure. Luckily, no loss of life reported.’
Hours later, it was reported that at least one person, a 7-year-old boy, drowned in Abaco.
Earlier, Minnis had warned that anyone who did not evacuate was ‘in extreme danger and can expect a catastrophic consequence.’
The fierce wind gusts nearly toppled this entire gas station in the Bahamas on Sunday
The image above shows the scale of the devastation left by Hurricane Dorian, which continues to pound 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
The government opened 14 shelters across the Bahamas. Dozens ignored evacuation orders, officials said.
‘The end could be fatal,’ said Samuel Butler, assistant police commissioner.
‘We ask you, we beg you, we plead with you to get to a place of safety.’
Bahamas radio station ZNS Bahamas reported a mother and child in Grand Bahama called to say they were sheltering in a closet and seeking help from police.
Silbert Mills, owner of the Bahamas Christian Network, said trees and power lines were torn down in Abaco.
‘The winds are howling like we’ve never, ever experienced before,’ said Mills, 59, who planned to ride out the hurricane with his family in the concrete home he built 41 years ago in central Abaco.
Earlier Saturday, skiffs shuttled between outlying fishing villages and McLean’s Town, a settlement of a few dozen homes at the eastern end of Grand Bahama island, about 150 miles from Florida’s Atlantic coast.
Most came from Sweetings Cay.
‘They said evacuate, you have to evacuate,’ said Margaret Bassett, a ferry boat driver for the Deep Water Cay resort.
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
But Jack Pittard, a 76-year-old American who has visited the Bahamas for 40 years, decided to ride out the storm – his first hurricane – in Abaco.
He said he battened down his house to spend the storm in a nearby duplex. He noted the ocean is quite deep near where he was staying, and there is a cay that provides protection.
A short video from Pittard about 2:30pm showed winds shaking his home and ripping off its siding.
Over two or three days, the hurricane could dump as much as 4 feet of rain, in addition to the winds and storm surge, said private meteorologist Ryan Maue.
Harris, the government spokesman, said Dorian could affect 73,000 residents and 21,000 homes.
Authorities closed airports for Abaco, Grand Bahama and Bimini, but Lynden Pindling International Airport in the capital of Nassau stayed open.
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.
As Dorian battered the islands and swirled perilously close to the U.S., Florida issued an official hurricane watch from Boca Raton through Brevard County and evacuations for its eastern coast – including President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate.
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
The U.S. South braces for impact
After walloping the northern Bahamas, Dorian was expected to dance up the U.S. Southeast coast, staying just off the shores of Florida and Georgia on Tuesday and Wednesday before skirting South Carolina and North Carolina on Thursday.
McMaster declared a state of emergency Saturday, mobilizing state resources to prepare for potential storm effects.
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced emergency measures, including the lifting of restrictions on transportation.
‘Now is the time to prepare and take Dorian seriously,’ said Cooper.
‘This storm could cause serious damage and bring dangerous conditions to our state. I urge everyone to follow the forecast and listen to their local first responders.’
Trump already declared a state of emergency.
The National Hurricane Center in Miami stressed that Dorian could still hit Florida, where millions of people have been in the storm’s changing potential path.
But after days of predictions that put the state in the center of expected landfalls, the hurricane’s projected turn northeast was significant, though it may still strike in the Sunshine State.
Carmen Segura said she had installed hurricane shutters at her house in Miami, bought extra gas and secured water and food for at least three days.
She felts well prepared and less worried given the latest forecasts but was still uneasy given the storm’s unpredictability.
‘Part of me still feels like: So, now what?’ Segura said.
DeSantis warned residents along the state’s Atlantic coast, ‘We’re not out of the woods yet.’
He noted some forecast models still bring Dorian close to or even onto the Florida peninsula.
‘That could produce life-threatening storm surge and hurricane force winds,’ DeSantis said.
‘That cone of uncertainty still includes a lot of areas on the east coast of Florida and even into central and north Florida, so we are staying prepared and remaining vigilant.’
He said he spoke with Trump, who pledged any help Florida needs. On Saturday, the shutters were up at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
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
President Trump tweeted: ‘Looking like our great South Carolina could get hit MUCH harder than first thought. Georgia and North Carolina also. It’s moving around and very hard to predict, except that it is one of the biggest and strongest (and really wide) that we have seen in decades. Be safe!’
On Saturday night, Vice President Mike Pence said Trump was receiving briefings and updates at Camp David.
‘It’s an extremely dangerous hurricane, and while some are reporting changes in the track, anyone in the path of Hurricane Dorian should listen to state and local and first responders and public safety personnel and heed their warnings,’ Pence said.
Pence says FEMA officials are reassessing where to deploy assets as they track the hurricane.
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
Florida’s scramble
Some counties in Florida told residents of barrier islands, mobile homes and low-lying areas to be ready to flee in the coming days.
The storm upended some Labor Day weekend plans: Major airlines allowed travelers to change their reservations without fees, big cruise lines began rerouting their ships and Cumberland Island National Seashore off Georgia closed to visitors.
Disney World and Orlando’s other resorts held off announcing any closings.
Sherry Atkinson, who manages a hotel on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, said the hurricane wasn’t spoiling holiday vacations for guests.
‘So far, there hasn’t even been a snippet of conversation about evacuations,’ she said.
A portion of Florida’s east coast was placed under a tropical storm watch Saturday, with winds of 39 to 73 mph possible within two days.
DeSantis said Friday the Florida Highway Patrol would soon begin escorting fuel trucks to help resupply gas stations in advance of the hurricane.
Gasbuddy, whose representatives helped state officials track fuel shortages in 2017 during Hurricane Irma, reported on Friday that more than half of the gas stations in the Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach area were already out of fuel because of drivers stocking up on fuel before the storm hits.
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
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
Several stores have reported rapidly dwindling supplies, including one Orlando Walmart that ran out of all plain water
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
Stunning footage from outer space shows Hurricane Dorian in all its might, swirling towards Florida, where it’s forecast to make landfall on Labor Day Monday as a monster Category 4 storm. This was shot from the International Space Station Thursday afternoon
Hurricane Dorian is pictured Thursday in this satellite image as it barrels past Puerto Rico, sparing the island, and heads towards the northern Bahamas and Florida’s east coast, leading Florida to declare a state of emergency