In a devastating development, Hurricane Dorian parked over the Bahamas for more than 24 hours, with Freeport, Grand Bahama Island at its center. Fox News is reporting that Dorian’s top sustained wind speed clocked in at one hundred and twenty miles per hour by early Tuesday morning.
According to Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, Dorian claimed at least seven lives and injured over twenty people, as of Tuesday.
Storm surges reached 20 feet in some places, CBS News reported.
Trapped by a rising flood
Authorities advised people to get hold of flotation devices and hammers to break through ceilings and walls in the event they become trapped by the rising deluge.
Fox News reports that a grandmother and her six grandchildren had to knock a hole through their roof to save themselves. A five-month-old baby is said to have ended up on a roof as well.
The cable network also says that a group of eight children and five adults were stranded on a highway, and that two shelters had flooded. The current status of those victims remains unclear.
The storm finally moved on from the Bahamas by Tuesday night, but Dorian leaves serious economic disruption in its wake. Hotels have shut down, businesses have been damaged, and the widespread property destruction is expected to leave many residents left homeless.
Bahamian authorities were inundated with distress calls, but the response was limited. Police Chief Samuel Butler told a local radio station, “We simply cannot get to you.” Those in danger were instructed to provide their GPS coordinates and wait until weather conditions improved.
A historic tragedy
“We are in the midst of a historic tragedy,” the prime minister declared, describing the devastation as “unprecedented.” A Bahamian member of parliament asked that people keep the nation in their prayers.
Power outages are widespread, including on the island of New Providence, which is home to a large share of the country’s population.
Meanwhile, Bahamas Power and Light lost its headquarters on Abaco Island to the storm. “The reports out of Abaco, as everyone knows,” company spokesman Quincy Parker announced, “were not good.”
As the storm headed toward the U.S. Tuesday night, forecasters said Florida and George can expect heavy rain and wind through Wednesday. The storm is expected to impact the Carolinas with dangerous heavy rains on Thursday and Friday. “Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next few days,” NOAA warned in a Tuesday night advisory.
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