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Hurricane Dorian Crawls Along the Bahamas at 1 MPH, Expected to Shift Toward North Carolina

Millions ordered to evacuate as record-setting Hurricane Dorian is expected to turn north.

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(TMU) — UPDATE 1 (11:45 EST): Dorian, which remains a record-setting catastrophic hurricane, has stalled over Grand Bahama island. The city of Freeport and the Abacos are being battered as the storm moves west at a mere 1 mile per hour.

Recent models show Dorian’s eye missing Florida and later skirting—or making landfall—along the coast of North Carolina.

Dorian has traveled only about 40 miles in the last 12 hours.

Little to no new footage has emerged from Great Abaco, the island ravaged by the storm yesterday.

Minister of Foreign Affairs and North Abaco Member of Parliament, Honorable Darren Henfield who was born in Abaco, spoke today about the current state of Abaco and plans moving forward. According to Henfield, reports are coming in of fatalities and bodies floating in the water but authorities are unable to confirm these reports until the storm passes and “it is safe to do so.” Coopers Town, in north Abaco, has reportedly fared well during the storm.

The Minister urged those in the impacted areas to remain indoors and not to move about the island due to hazards such as downed power lines, trees, and floodwaters. “It is not safe to go outdoors,” Henfield said.

Henfield is “holding strong and steady here at the government complex” that has been turned into a “makeshift shelter” after other shelters were “compromised.” According to the Minister, area residents were able to reach the complex during the 2.5 hours lull as the eye of Dorian passed overhead.

Central Abaco Administrator, Maxine Duncombe reiterated Henfield’s plea for survivors to remain indoors saying, “This storm is, again, something we have never seen before.”

As information about the state of the Abacos remains unclear, footage has begun to emerge from the city of Freeport on Grand Bahama. Freeport, with a population of 26,914, has yet to see the eye of Dorian.

According to CCN‘s Patrick Oppmann who is currently in Freeport on Grand Bahama, on an island where the high point is only 30 feet, Dorian is “expected to bring a storm surge here of over 20 feet.” Oppmann called the storm “a real danger,” adding that help will not arrive for days.

The National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. ET advisory now reports Hurricane Dorian’s sustained wind speeds to be within the high-end of Category 4, at 155 mph.

***

(3:30 AM EST): Hurricane Dorian, what began as a small tropical storm eight days ago, has become an extremely dangerous record-setting hurricane. Maximum sustained winds reached 185 miles per hour on Sunday as it devastated the Bahamas, heading straight for Florida.

The highest classification of the Saffir–Simpson scale—Category 5—consists of hurricanes with sustained winds over 157 miles per hour. Dorian smashed that cut off by nearly 30 miles per hour at times on Sunday, the same wind speed difference between a Category 3 (111–129 mph) and Category 5 hurricane.

Because of this cutoff, a Category 6 hurricane doesn’t currently exist.

The slow-moving storm is expected to make a northward turn by Tuesday morning, but some forecasts continue to predict landfall over Florida.

As a precaution, evacuations have been ordered in Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia. 

In terms of wind speed, there’s a small chance that Hurricane Dorian will become the strongest storm of all time. That record is held currently by Hurricane Patricia, which had peak sustained winds reach 215 miles per hour.

Some recent computer models show Dorian increasing in intensity over the next 72 hours, reaching sustained wind speeds of up to 219 miles per hour (190 knots, or kt).

195 kt = 224mph

However, the most recent computer models released at 3:00 a.m. Monday morning show sustained wind speeds peaking at 185 miles per hour.

155 kt = 178 mph

 

Dorian is the fourth Category 5 hurricane to hit the U.S. in the last two years.

Heart-breaking video began emerging from the island of Great Abaco on Sunday afternoon as island residents came out from their homes during the calm of the eye. Social media users started sifting through the images and video of utter devastation of the small island seemingly covered with water.

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said:

“This is probably the most sad and worst day of my life to address the Bahamian people. As a physician, I’ve been trained to withstand many things, but never anything like this.”

Horrifying scenes emerged from the insides of homes missing roofs, walls, and windows as rain and wind continued.

In what looked like footage straight out of a film, locals captured scenes of residents emerging from the destruction in search of higher ground and solid structures.

At 5:55pm Tribune242 reported:

“The Ministry of Health stated today, September 1, 2019 there have so far been no reported deaths on the island of Abaco, which is currently being impacted by Hurricane Dorian, other than the recent fatality in Sandy Point, Abaco.”

However, Bahamas Press has issued a grave report:

“The place is a disaster, no business is operable and bodies are floating around Big Cat. The concern is nobody knows how many people died, and they feel when the water subsides some bodies will be washed out to sea.”

As always, if you are in the path of the storm heed local warnings and evacuate if you are instructed to do so. During a deadly storm is neither the time to kayak nor peddle your wares.

It’s now 3:30 a.m. in the Bahamas and residents are bunkering down in the dark as Category 5 Hurricane Dorian has stalled out over the island chain.

Keep checking the Mind Unleashed for more updates on this record-setting storm.

By Emma Fiala | Creative Commons | TheMindUnleashed.com

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