Hurricane Dorian Unleashes Its Fury

The Category 5 hurricane is called 'life-threatening'
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 1, 2019 12:40 PM CDT
Updated Sep 1, 2019 4:10 PM CDT

Hurricane Dorian is plowing through the Bahamas. The Category 5 storm ripped out power lines, flung cars, and tore off roofs Sunday in the Abaco Islands after making landfall at 12:40pm, the AP reports. "It's devastating," says 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." Hundreds of people took refuge in churches, schools, and shelters. The storm's 185mph sustained winds matched the record for an Atlantic hurricane to strike land—held by the 1935 Labor Day hurricane, before storms got names—and is weaker only than Hurricane Allen of 1980 with its 190mph winds, per NBC News.

As Dorian crawls over the Abaco Islands toward the Great Bahama Island, meteorologists say a storm surge could lift water levels by up to 25 feet. Videos are already emerging on Twitter of rushing floodwaters and wrenching property damage. Some 21,000 homes and 73,000 residents are expected to feel the brunt. "This is a life-threatening situation," says the National Hurricane Center. "Residents there should take immediate shelter. Do not venture into the eye if it passes over your location." Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has also issued evacuation orders, which dozens have ignored. "The end could be fatal," says a police official. "We ask you, we beg you, we plead with you to get to a place of safety." (More hurricane stories.)

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