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Monday 2 September 2019

Hurricane Dorian devastates the Bahamas: One of the strongest storms EVER to hit land leaves airport under 5ft of water

Devastation in the wake of Hurricane Dorian as boats were left upturned by the fierce storm
Hurricane Dorian is expected to barrel towards the United States later today after battering the Bahamas with furious winds that destroyed homes, shredded roofs, toppled power lines and killed at least one person overnight. 
The Category 5 hurricane made landfall with wind speeds of 185mph, tying the record for the strongest storm ever to hit land and spinning along the island of Grand Bahama in a day-long assault. 
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. 

Dorian was lingering over the Bahamas this morning - leaving an airport under five feet of water - but is expected to move towards the Florida coast later on Monday.  
Today the hurricane is pounding at the northern Bahamas in a slow, relentless advance, leaving wrecked homes, shredded roofs, tumbled cars and toppled power poles in its wake. 
This morning the hurricane was crawling westward at just 1mph, giving no respite to the Bahamas as it continues to lash the islands with destructive winds. 
The storm is expected to continue battering Grand Bahama through Monday, its top wind speeds still a menacing 165mph, before moving close to Florida's coast Monday night through Wednesday evening.  
The National Hurricane Center early Monday warned of 'catastrophic storm surge flooding' on Grand Bahama, urging residents to stay indoors.
'This is a life-threatening situation,' the NHC said.
'Residents on Grand Bahama Island should not leave their shelter when the eye passes over, as winds will rapidly increase on the other side of the eye.'
The NHC warned of 'storm surge 18 to 23 feet above normal tide levels with higher destructive waves.'
'These hazards will cause extreme destruction in the affected areas and will continue for several hours,' the agency said. 
Today the hurricane is pounding at the northern Bahamas in a slow, relentless advance, leaving wrecked homes, shredded roofs, tumbled cars and toppled power poles in its wake. 

This morning the hurricane was crawling westward at just 1mph, giving no respite to the Bahamas as it continues to lash the islands with destructive winds. 

The storm is expected to continue battering Grand Bahama through Monday, its top wind speeds still a menacing 165mph, before moving close to Florida's coast Monday night through Wednesday evening.  

The National Hurricane Center early Monday warned of 'catastrophic storm surge flooding' on Grand Bahama, urging residents to stay indoors.

'This is a life-threatening situation,' the NHC said.

'Residents on Grand Bahama Island should not leave their shelter when the eye passes over, as winds will rapidly increase on the other side of the eye.'

The NHC warned of 'storm surge 18 to 23 feet above normal tide levels with higher destructive waves.'

'These hazards will cause extreme destruction in the affected areas and will continue for several hours,' the agency said. 

What are the strongest hurricanes ever to hit land? 
Hurricane Dorian has tied the record for the most powerful hurricane ever to make landfall.

Dorian's sustained winds of 185mph equalled the so-called Labor Day hurricane of 1935, which made landfall in Florida in September that year.  

It has also matched Hurricane Gilbert in 1988 and Hurricane Wilma in 2005, both of which were also Category 5 hurricanes. 

Hurricane Allen, which struck Mexico and parts of Texas in 1980, reached sustained winds of 190mph but did not make landfall at that speed.  

In the Pacific Ocean, Hurricane Patricia reached the greatest ever recorded wind speed, with a maximum of 215mph in October 2015. 

However, it had dropped to 150mph by the time it made landfall on the west coast of Mexico on October 23. 

The four strongest hurricanes by wind speed at landfall are:

Labor Day, 1935 - 185mph

Gilbert, 1988 - 185mph

Wilma, 2005 - 185mph

Dorian, 2019 - 185mph

Up to 30 inches of rain are expected and Grand Bahama International Airport was said to be under five feet of water in the early hours of Monday. 

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis broke down in tears as he addressed a news conference, calling it 'probably the most sad and worst day of my life.'

'We're facing a hurricane... one that we've never seen in the history of the Bahamas,' he said.  

The hurricane made its first landfall on the Abaco Islands on Sunday afternoon, causing 'catastrophic conditions' were with a storm surge of 18-23 feet, and Dorian was expected to cross Grand Bahama 'with all its fury'. 

Dorian first came ashore Sunday at Elbow Cay in Abaco island at 12.40pm, then made a second landfall near Marsh Harbour at 2pm. 

In parts of Abaco 'you cannot tell the difference as to the beginning of the street versus where the ocean begins', said Prime Minister Minnis.  
Seven-year-old Lachino Mcintosh became the first victim of the hurricane when he drowned near his family's home in Abaco, according to Bahamas Press.
The young boy is reported to have drowned while his family was trying to seek shelter. Mcintosh's sister, whose age is unknown, is also reported to be missing.  
Footage taken by Abaco residents showed homes missing parts of their roofs, downed power lines and smashed and overturned cars.
However, officials warned people against venturing out into the eye of the storm to take such videos.  
In the northern stretches of the archipelago, hotels closed, residents boarded up homes and officials hired boats to move people to bigger islands.   
On Sunday night, the hurricane had weakened slightly, with top sustained winds down to 180mph. Dorian is 'expected to remain a powerful hurricane' over the next few days, with possible fluctuations in intensity. 

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