Second strongest storm in HISTORY: Hurricane Dorian crawls across the Bahamas at record slow speed destroying 13,000 homes and killing one with 225mph gusts as millions evacuate on the East Coast amid fears for Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas
The Category 5 hurricane made landfall with wind speeds of 185mph on Sunday, battering the Bahamas, destroying homes and tearing down power lines
There were gusts of up to 225mph and up to 30 inches of rain were expected in the Bahamas where a seven-year-old boy is believed to have drowned
Hundreds of thousands of people are being evacuated on the U.S. coast although the storm is not currently expected to hit land there
Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas on Elbow Cay in the Abacos Islands at 12.40pm ET then again at 2pm ET, bringing with it ‘catastrophic’ conditions
Video posted to social media by residents of Abaco in the Bahamas shows homes missing parts of their roofs, utility lines down and cars overturned
‘You cannot tell the difference as to the beginning of the street versus where the ocean begins,’ Bahamanian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said on Sunday
By ARIEL ZILBER and MARLENE LENTHANG and TIM STICKINGS
DAILYMAIL.COM
2 September 2019
Hurricane Dorian brought ‘extreme destruction’ to the Bahamas this morning as the Category 5 storm stalled over the islands, moving westwards at just 1mph, while the U.S. southeast coast braces for impact.
Bringing gusts of 225mph and up to 30 inches of rainfall, the hurricane wrecked 13,000 homes, tore down power lines and left Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport under five feet of water on Monday morning.
A seven-year-old boy is believed to have drowned and today the Bahamian government said there were chilling reports of ‘bodies being seen’ amid the carnage.
Today the island of Grand Bahama was hit the hardest as the storm crawled over it, almost coming to a stop, while experts have warned of a possible storm surge that could send destructive waves crashing into the coast.
Dorian is the second-strongest Atlantic storm on record, and the joint-strongest ever to make landfall, after it barreled into the Bahamas with wind speeds of 185mph on Sunday.
It is expected to move towards the U.S. 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.
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