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Home Disaster/Emergency Hurricane Dorian pummels Bahamas as monster Category 5 storm

Hurricane Dorian pummels Bahamas as monster Category 5 storm

by Tom Chiahemen
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Hurricane Dorian fast facts:

As of 8 a.m. EDT Monday, the National Hurricane Center said Dorian was a Category 5 storm battering the Bahamas.

Forecasters say Dorian may spare the U.S. a direct hit, but will move close to Florida’s east coast late Monday.

Mandatory evacuations were underway in some parts of Florida and ordered for later Monday for the coastlines of South Carolina and Georgia.

“Devastating” Hurricane Dorian was battering parts of the Bahamas overnight with punishing 160 mph maximum sustained winds — down from 185 mph earlier — and inching along on its path of destruction, the National Hurricane Center said.

Storm surges in some places were raising water levels more than 20 feet above normal.

Dorian was ripping off roofs, overturning cars and tearing down power lines as people hunkered down in schools, churches and shelters.

Though the hurricane center was still forecasting that Dorian would stay just off the U.S. coast as it makes its way up the seaboard, evacuations were ordered for parts of Florida and, later on Monday, the Georgia and South Carolina coasts.

Acting DHS chief Kevin McAleenan said Sunday that even if the storm remains just off the U.S. mainland, it could still cause major problems with high winds, a devastating storm surge and heavy rain.

As of 10 a.m. EDT Monday, Dorian’s center was some 30 miles east-northeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, and 115 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida, the hurricane center said. The storm was barely budging, moving west at about 1 mph.

According to The Associated Press, Dorian tied the record for the most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever to come ashore in the Bahamas, equaling the Labor Day hurricane of 1935, before storms were named.

The National Hurricane Center said at 5 a.m. EDT Monday that on its current track, “The core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will continue to pound Grand Bahama Island through much of today and tonight. The hurricane will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast tonight through Wednesday evening.

” … Although gradual weakening is forecast, Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next couple of days.”

 

 

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster on Sunday ordered the evacuation of his state’s entire coast.

The order, which covers about 830,000 people, was to take effect at noon Monday, at which point state troopers were to make all lanes on major coastal highways one-way heading inland.

Georgia’s governor, Brian Kemp, ordered evacuations for that state’s Atlantic coast, also starting at midday Monday.

Authorities in Florida ordered evacuations in some vulnerable coastal areas.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper warned his state that it could see heavy rain, winds and floods later in the week.

— The Associated Press

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