Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
World
Kari Paul in San Francisco (now) and Joanna Walters in New York (earlier)

Aerial footage reveals extent of storm devastation in Bahamas – as it happened

Kari Paul logging off for the evening. Please stay tuned tomorrow for more updates as Dorian reaches the US coast and the picture of effects on the Bahamas become clearer.

Here are the latest updates from this afternoon:

  • Senator Rick Scott is encouraging Floridians to take evacuation advisories seriously ahead of Hurricane Dorian making landfall on the US coast
  • Officials in the Bahamas have called the hurricane and its effects “a crisis of epic proportions”, and warned the death toll will likely continue to climb in coming days.
  • Disney is donating $1m to recovery efforts after facing criticism for leaving staffers in the Bahamas as the hurricane approached.
  • The death toll from the hurricane has risen from five to seven, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said on Tuesday night.
  • Donald Trump announced on Twitter he is signing a federal emergency declaration in coming days for North Carolina.
  • Read the Guardian’s report for more details on the “unprecedented” damage left in Hurricane Dorian’s wake.

Updated

The death toll for Hurricane Dorian climbed to seven, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said on Tuesday night, according to CNN. The death toll, which was at five earlier in the day, has been expected to climb as survivors of the natural disaster face ongoing food and medicine shortages.

Donald Trump announced on Twitter Tuesday evening he is signing a federal emergency declaration in coming days for North Carolina.

North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis thanked the president on Twitter.

Updated

The Guardian’s Tom McCarthy has more on the destruction engulfing the Bahamas, reporting that the Bahamian prime minister Hubert Minnis said on Tuesday, “the devastation is unprecedented and extensive.” Read the full report here.

Disney Cruise Line announced on Tuesday it will donate $1m to relief efforts on Bahamian islands affected by Hurricane Dorian.

The donation comes after a tweet went viral accusing the company of stranding employees in the hurricane, according to USA Today.

“Many of our guests have asked questions about Castaway Cay,” stated an advisory message on Disney Cruise Line’s website. “Some of our crew remained on the island and their care and safety is our highest priority. As forecasted, sustained winds on the island did not extend beyond tropical force strength and our crew has returned to their living quarters after spending a few hours in our storm shelter yesterday. Our thoughts continue to be with the people in areas of The Bahamas that are being impacted by this storm and we stand ready to contribute to recovery efforts.”

The donation will go towards relief efforts in the Bahamas. The company employs more than 60 people from Abaco and Grand Bahama and others from additional Bahamian islands.

In the Bahamas officials struggle to respond to 'crisis of epic proportions'

In the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian making landfall in the Bahamas, officials are struggling to describe the devastation left in its wake and move forward with rebuilding and rescue efforts, according to the Associated Press:

“It’s total devastation. It’s decimated. Apocalyptic. It looks like a bomb went off,” said Lia Head-Rigby, who helps run a local hurricane relief organization and flew over the Bahamas’ hard-hit Abaco Islands. “It’s not rebuilding something that was there; we have to start again.”

Five people were killed after the category 5 hurricane with wind gusts of up to 220mph decimated the Grand Bahama and Abaco islands. The death toll is expected to rise as thousands remain without shelter, stranded by flooding, and are likely to face food and medicine shortages in coming days.

The U.S. Coast Guard airlifted at least 21 people injured on Abaco. Rescuers also used jet skis to reach some people as choppy, coffee-colored floodwaters reached roofs and the tops of palm trees.

“We will confirm what the real situation is on the ground,” Health Minister Duane Sands said. “We are hoping and praying that the loss of life is limited.”

The Minister of National Security Marvin Dames said Tuesday more dead are likely to be found, according to the Nassau Guardian.

“It’s certainly a concern for us,” he said. “This was a crisis of epic proportions. We want to be responsible; we want to be caring.”

According to the Associated Press, Red Cross spokesman Matthew Cochrane said more than 13,000 houses, or about 45% of the homes on Grand Bahama and Abaco, were believed to have been severely damaged or destroyed. U.N. officials said more than 60,000 people on the hard-hit islands will need food, and the Red Cross said some 62,000 will need clean drinking water.

“What we are hearing lends credence to the fact that this has been a catastrophic storm and a catastrophic impact,” Cochrane said.

Updated

Florida Senator Rick Scott encouraged people in the state to take calls to evacuate ahead of Hurricane Dorian’s approach seriously.

“If you’re in an evacuation zone, you need to evacuate and don’t wait until the last minute…don’t take a chance.”

Hello readers, West Coast reporter Kari Paul here to keep you updated on hurricane news for the afternoon. Stay tuned for more.

Afternoon summary

It’s been a dramatic day despite Hurricane Dorian moving so slowly, because the scale of the catastrophe in the Bahamas is only now being revealed for a shocked world to witness.

And also, Dorian has been downgraded to a category 2 hurricane, something over 100 miles from Florida’s Space Coast this hour, but it is expanding in size and is still a serious threat to northern Florida and up along the Carolinas coast.

In recent hours:

  • The National Hurricane Center warned that Dorian is speeding up again and heading for the south-eastern US, with storm surge flooding the greatest threat at this stage, for the Carolinas.
  • Parts of the Bahamas have been utterly destroyed and the aerial footage emerging is shocking and heart-wrenching.
  • Queen Elizabeth, head of state in the Bahamas, a commonwealth realm, has sent official commiserations after the Bahamian government lamented the terrible disaster to hit the archipelago nation.

Dorian, which had been stalled, devastatingly, over Grand Bahama, finally shifted away this morning and began creeping, first at 1mph, now, by afternoon, at 6mph, towards the US coast, in the direction of northern Florida.

I’m handing over to my west coast colleague, Kari Paul, now.

Bahamian flooding

Here’s another batch of satellite images showing before and after Dorian inundation in the Bahamas, as reported by CNBC.

And there are some new maps from the Weather Channel, as the hurricane, now category 2 but expanding in size and therefore threat of storm surge flooding for the US south-east coast, heads for Florida.

Dorian speeding up

The hurricane is now moving north-west at 6mph. Dorian is about 125 miles east-south-east of Cape Canaveral, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Winds are at a sustained speed of 110mph. The storm surge warning has been extended northwards to Surf City, North Carolina.

The storm surge Watch has been extended northward to Duck, North Carolina, including the Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds and the Neuse and Pamlico Rivers.

A hurricane warning has been issued from Savannah River to Edisto Beach, South Carolina, and from South Santee River, South Carolina, to Surf City, North Carolina.

What was a hurricane warning from around Vero Beach to Jupiter, Florida, has been downgraded to a tropical storm warning. And south of Jupiter, there is no longer a tropical storm warning.

So, Mar-a-Lago’s off the hook. FYI.

Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, Palm Beach, Florida.
Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, Palm Beach, Florida.

 Photograph: Joe Skipper/Reuters

Updated

Shocking aerial images

The footage coming out of Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas shows extraordinary damage, really dreadful.

We have been informed aid is on the way, from the US, the United Nations and other bodies, but clearly it can’t come soon enough, and access is going to be a nightmare. What a tragedy unfolding, truly a disaster.

Dorian

Volunteers rescue a family from the rising waters of Hurricane Dorian, near the Causarina bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama earlier today. Whole communities in the nation have been crippled or flattened altogether.
Volunteers rescue a family from the rising waters of Hurricane Dorian, near the Causarina bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama earlier today. Whole communities in the nation have been crippled or flattened altogether. Photograph: Ramón Espinosa/AP

Deadly spiral

Florida’s Space Coast is largely evacuated but, nonetheless, NASA has posted this extraordinary video to Twitter, via the Kennedy Space Center, showing the deadly, destructive Dorian when it was squatting and spinning mercilessly over the Bahamas before finally easing away very slowly - toward the US.

Devastation in Great Abaco Island

This aerial footage, hat tip to CNN, is utterly sobering. The scale of the catastrophe in the Bahamas is clearly only just beginning to unfold for those of us observing from afar.

Queen Elizabeth commiserates with the Bahamas

Queen Elizabeth, queen of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, shared her condolences with the Governor-General of the Bahamas, an independent commonwealth realm since 1973, a little earlier today.

As head of state, she sent the message from herself and her husband.

“Prince Philip and I have been shocked and saddened to learn of the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian, and we send our sincere condolences to the families and friends of those who have lost their lives following this terrible storm,” the statement from Buckingham Palace began.

“At this very difficult time, my thoughts and prayers are with those who have seen their homes and property destroyed, and I also send my gratitude to the emergency services and volunteers who are supporting the rescue and recovery effort.”

Queen Elizabeth attending church in Scotland on Sunday
Queen Elizabeth attending church in Scotland on Sunday Photograph: John Linton/PA

South Carolina beaches under threat

Tropical storm force winds in Florida

The National Hurricane Center reports that Dorian continues to move away from the Bahamas, towards Florida, and high winds are being experienced in the state.

These are likely to get stronger over the next 24 hours.

Dorian

Surfers at Deerfield Beach, Florida
Surfers at Deerfield Beach, Florida Photograph: Eva Marie Uzcategui/AFP/Getty Images

Rip tides

There are more folks out on the beach in Florida than one might imagine when a hurricane is bearing down.

But the US National Weather Service is reminding the public about some of the dangers that can’t be seen until you’re in the grip of them.

“Conditions were much worse than expected”

Hat tip to CNN for some of their latest reporting from the Bahamas, amid the wrath of Hurricane Dorian.

Here are some images of the scene in Daytona Beach, Florida, this afternoon, where Niall Macaulay is taking pictures for Guardian US.

Lashing rain in Daytona Beach as Dorian approaches
Lashing rain in Daytona Beach as Dorian approaches Photograph: Niall Macaulay/Niall Macaulay for the Guardian

Shooting the breeze

Wind getting up
Wind getting up Photograph: Niall Macaulay/Niall Macaulay for the Guardian

Storm a-coming

Stormy seas on Florida’s east coast
Stormy seas on Florida’s east coast Photograph: Niall Macaulay/Niall Macaulay for the Guardian

On the promenade

Flags tell a story on the promenade
Flags tell a story on the promenade Photograph: Niall Macaulay/Niall Macaulay for the Guardian

Meanwhile, at Daytona Beach

Despite the whipping wind and rain, there are quite a few casual observers on Daytona Beach, our contributor Maria Bakkalapulo writes this afternoon.

Most are here to see what the ocean looks like before Hurricane Dorian makes the coast off-limits.

Some are blogging, some are goofing around, taking selfies on the playground slides as the rain drenches them, others are pursued for comment by local TV crews!

As the weather deteriorated, cop cars are slowly moving in to urge the tourists off the beach.

Almost everywhere is closed, with the exception of one defiant hide away, the local IHOP restaurant [editor’s note to international readers: that’ll be the famous American diner chain inaptly, perhaps, named International House of Pancakes] - with the words ‘open’ sprayed in three-foot high letters across its plywood-boarded windows.

Rushing in with our umbrella broken in half, server 40-year-old Natalie Youngdale greets us at the door, laughs and says “I am the lucky one, I get to work today.”

She comments that there was a line out the door all morning, and it was hard getting people willing to work. With only one cook and two waitresses taking orders and serving food, the staff had to recruit their family members.

For the patrons facing likely power outages, today’s lunch may be their last hot meal for a while.
Youngdale has lived here all her life. She was really nervous at first, that Dorian could be ‘the big one’.

She is more relieved now, smiling as she serves her last stacks of pancakes smothered in whipped cream, and BLTs with fries. “I am just happy it is fizzling out a bit.”

The IHOP is closing at 3 pm local time, ie it closed seconds ago, a marker in the day that the weather will begin to dominate the area, with everyone retreating to the mainland.

Updated

Dorian’s 48 hours

Here’s a handy time-lapse clip of Dorian whirling itself into a damaging frenzy as it pummeled the Bahamas.

Taking a soaking

Flooding in Nassau, Bahamas
Flooding in Nassau, Bahamas Photograph: John Marc Nutt/Reuters

Updated

Grand Bahama under water

These images show Grand Bahama before and after Dorian hit.

Where does Dorian go now?

Here’s the Guardian’s ‘where next’ take on the hurricane, from our Lauren Aratani.

From the Bahamas, without much mercy

Julia Aylen wades through waist deep water carrying her pet dog as she is rescued from her flooded home during Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Bahamas, earlier today
Julia Aylen wades through waist deep water carrying her pet dog as she is rescued from her flooded home during Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Bahamas, earlier today Photograph: Tim Aylen/AP

Florida waits

This morning in Daytona Beach, palm trees swayed in the wind, with sheets of rain sweeping by in the parking lot at the Hampton Inn, where our contributor Maria Bakkalapulo is based today.

She writes: the mood in the hotel lobby was solemn as people ate their continental breakfast - almost everyone here is a local, displaced by evacuation orders from the coast. Tonight the hotel is fully booked, and so are all hotels for miles west towards Orlando.

If you haven’t made a booking, you’re out of luck.

The TVs here all have local news or the Weather Channel tuned, as they switch between reports from their teams up and down the coast.

On the streets, businesses are shuttered, and traffic is light, and convoys of power company vehicles head to their staging areas as Dorian makes its slow crawl north.

Moving around town is getting harder now. At GI Jeff’s Army and Navy Supply store, the owner is closing over the last gaps in the plywood barriers. “I haven’t got time to say much, I have to move my people out of here. Just the usual stuff, God Bless America, we will all be fine,” he says, with a wink.

The forecast is for storm surges, perhaps as high as seven feet by tomorrow afternoon. Florida’s east coast has hundreds of miles of vulnerable, highly-populated barrier islands, where mandatory evacuations have been issued.

As each area locks down, police are closing off the causeways and bridges that jump the inter coastal waters to the mainland.

If you decide to ignore the warnings and ride out the storm, emergency management are making it clear they may not be there to help.

The skies are becoming uniform with thick clouds as Dorian’s outer bands are pushed ashore, the waves eating into the sand on the beaches.

Today is the last call to take cover in Daytona, but in a place known for its wild spring break parties, there are still rumors of arrests on the beach as people in bathings suits take selfies, fooling around in the rough surf.

Boarded-up business in Daytona Beach today
Boarded-up business in Daytona Beach today Photograph: Niall Macaulay/Niall Macaulay for the Guardian

Storm surge advisories

Dorian is on its way at 2mph now, set to move dangerously close the Florida’s east coast.

Windswept and battered

Here’s the Guardian’s latest video report on Hurricane Dorian. This report includes startling images and frightening scenes of people trying to swim to safety and people’s homes being inundated with them in it. There are frames of a flooded hospital and Freeport airport in Grand Bahama under water.

Updated

State Department alerts

A number of information bulletins have just been tweeted by the US State Department about the dire situation in the Bahamas - the full extent of which remains to be seen by the world beyond Grand Bahama, as details unfold.

But these urgent messages speak for themselves.

Floridians stepping up for the Bahamas

The US Coast Guard might be mustering in Miami ready to take relief to the storm-battered Bahamas, but locals are ready and willing to help, too.

Flash flooding

The latest @NWSWPC (National Weather Service Weather Prediction Center) rainfall forecast shows that the flash flood threat will increase today and tonight along the Florida peninsula, then spread up the SE and mid-Atlantic coast during the middle and latter part of the week.

Dorian aiming for Florida east coast.

Heading for Mar-a-Lago. Not the president - Dorian.
Heading for Mar-a-Lago. Not the president - Dorian. Photograph: Tom Brenner/Getty Images

Dorian now category 2 but expanding in size

The National Hurricane Center has just put out its 11AM update.

Dorian has weakened to a category 2 hurricane. Dangerous winds and storm surge will continue to affect Grand Bahama for several more hours.

Now the storm is expanding and posing increased threat to the US east coast in some respects. The NHC warns of life-threatening storm surges and dangerous winds along portions of Florida’s east coast and also the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina.

The service also warns that North Carolina is at risk and there is the threat of flash flooding all up the coast, from Florida north.

Updated

Dorian drifting

Here’s a fresh version of the popular projection “cone” maps that shows the latest forecast of Hurricane Dorian’s possible as it whirls along the US east coast.

It looks likely to remain at hurricane strength into the weekend, as it spins down to a less powerful but still hazardous category 1 storm off New York by Saturday.

Canada, you’re going to feel some of it, too. More or less than, say....Alabama? Time will tell, as they say (always the most lame and annoying end to a story, but so true in this case). Here’s that digital cone map, courtesy of CNN.

CNN map projecting possible path of Hurricane Dorian
CNN map projecting possible path of Hurricane Dorian Photograph: Maxouris, Christina/CNN

Coastal Georgia under evacuation order

An eerie quiet

I’m in Savannah, Georgia, the Guardian’s Oliver Laughland writes this morning.

The historic and famously beautiful city hugs the coastline, just over 100 miles from the Florida border.

Savannah, along with a group of other Georgian coastal counties, was placed under an evacuation order yesterday by governor Brian Kemp.

It was eerily quiet here last night. The city’s downtown area was mostly deserted, save one last dive bar holding a heavy metal concert for a local band that attracted an audience of about 4 people, including me.


Tropical storm conditions are expected here within the next 36 hours and a storm surge warning is in effect from here to the Florida border.
Despite this, most locals I’ve spoken to seem pretty non-fussed about Dorian. A number of people have told me they don’t plan to evacuate today, as the projections this morning indicate Dorian staying further out to sea.


I’ll be taking a seven hour drive down to Miami today, where the Guardian is hoping to get out to the Bahamas tomorrow. I’ll send you updates of what I see along the coastal drive on the way.

Workers board the windows of the Bay Street Blues today in preparation of the potential arrival of Hurricane Dorian
Workers board the windows of the Bay Street Blues today in preparation of the potential arrival of Hurricane Dorian Photograph: Steve Bisson/AP

National Hurricane Center update

NHC 10AM EDT tropical cyclone update.

At least five people have been confirmed killed in the Bahamas so far and 21 injured people were airlifted to the Bahamian capital, Nassau, by the US Coast Guard, Bahamas officials said.

“We are in the midst of an historic tragedy,” prime minister Hubert Minnis said yesterday. “The devastation is unprecedented and extensive.”

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis of the Bahamas
Prime Minister Hubert Minnis of the Bahamas Photograph: Jose Romero/AFP/Getty Images

Updated

Hurricane Dorian crawls away from Bahamas

The tempest is now 45 miles north-north-east of Freeport, Bahamas, 105 miles east-north-east of Palm Beach, Florida, with sustained wind speeds now of 115mph.

That means that wind speeds have almost halved since it was a category 5 blowing in excess of 200mph, with wind gusts over 225mph, at the weekend.

Dorian is still a category 3 hurricane and the US National Hurricane Center has predicted it will stay at hurricane strength all week, albeit that it’s weakening steadily now as it heads towards the US.

A car entering Freeport, Grand Bahama, in torrential rain on Sunday
A car entering Freeport, Grand Bahama, in torrential rain on Sunday Photograph: Ramón Espinosa/AP

US rallying for the Bahamas

Florida Republican Senator Marco Rubio says the US is ready to provide aid and assistance to the Bahamas. The island archipelago nation is in dire straits after Hurricane Dorian sat at a category 5 with winds at 200mph and above sat over it over the long weekend.

It’s barely shifting away from there now, but is very slowly on the move and the full extent of the death and destruction it has left behind is yet to be revealed to the outside world. So far we have just had awful glimpses of the situation, as ordinary people on social media and Bahamian government figures have put out small updates.

United Nations prepping relief for Bahamas

UN agencies said on Tuesday that they had emergency medical and food aid ready to help the people of the Bahamas after the devastating passage of hurricane Dorian through the island chain.

They estimate that at least 61,000 people will need food aid after the monster storm hit the islands, officials told reporters in Geneva, the South African-based news letter The Citizen reports.

The islands’ water system is damaged and fresh water will be a priority, the UN Office for coordination of humanitarian affairs reported.

UN experts are waiting for government clearance before assessing the situation on the ground, said OCHA spokesperson Jens Laerke.

The OCHA statement said the authorities on Abaco island were talking of “catastrophic damage”, while emergency officials on Grand Bahama were reporting massive flooding there.

Herve Verhoosel for the World Food Program said their initial estimate suggested that 47,000 people would need food aid on Grand Bahama and another 14,000 on Abaco.

Emergency medical teams were also standing by to intervene, said Fadela Chaib, spokesperson for the World Health Organization.

Grand Bahama as Dorian pounds it
Grand Bahama as Dorian pounds it Photograph: Tim Aylen/AP

Unrecognizable

The Freedom International Airport in the Bahamas is under water.

Florida National Guard called out

As soon as forecasters tracking Hurricane Dorian projected Palm Beach County and neighboring areas could be hit hard, the Florida Army National Guard was mobilized.

Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Moore left behind his wife and one month old baby, and drove down from Saint Augustine to join the command of the 254 Transportation Battalion, as the state waited to see what impact the storm will have there, Guardian contributor Maria Bakkalapulo reports.

“We transport - whether it be personnel or commodities in support of the relief effort, such as food, water, ice, tarps, whatever is needed,” Moore told the Guardian, as he oversaw preparations at the Callaway Armory in West Palm Beach yesterday.

The 160 soldiers in his unit are driving and unloading military trucks and utility vehicles, carrying supplies from the logistics readiness center in Orlando, with another 160 men and women from a sister battalion, the 160th of Crystal River, a field artillery unit.

“You know, the quickest way to move stuff around is with our interstate system. The I-10, I-75, I-95 highways - that’s where the logistical planning comes in,” says Command Sergeant Major Tom Aycock with the 254 Transportation Company.

He has been working with the National Guard on hurricane rescue and relief since the devastating Hurricane Andrew in 1992, a Category 5 Hurricane.

“When we get to where the citizens need is and there is nothing more rewarding than be able to help someone out during a time of crisis.”

The chain of command begins in state capital Tallahassee and branches out to liaise with each county emergency center and law enforcement.

Inside the busy facility, a mess hall was set with tables, and cots lined up on the floor for newly arrived Guardsmen catch up on some sleep.

“We have to keep them rested - we never know when they might be called upon to be out for 36 hours or more in the field” said Aycock.

Outside, men and women prepped a huge array of vehicles - tall off-road hauling rigs, humvees, lifts and backhoes, communication cars and fuel trucks, as the hurricane’s first heavy rains start to hammer down from ominous skies.

Some guardsmen are active duty military, while others are civilians, from plumbers to doctors to teachers in their full-time jobs. Plumbers, especially, can come in handy in a hurricane situation, Aycock said.

National Guard are permitted to carry arms on the streets, unlike conventional forces, and Aycock thinks that show of force is welcome reassurance. “Unfortunately, there’s an element that presents itself in some disasters where you need law enforcement.”

Florida National Guard dealing with supplies at their depot in West Palm Beach
Florida National Guard dealing with supplies at their depot in West Palm Beach Photograph: Niall Macaulay/Niall Macaulay for the Guardian

In charge

Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Moore and Command Sergeant Major Tom Aycock of Florida Army National Guard discuss logistic preparations for Hurricane Dorian
Lieutenant Colonel Jeff Moore and Command Sergeant Major Tom Aycock of Florida Army National Guard discuss logistic preparations for Hurricane Dorian Photograph: Niall Macaulay/Niall Macaulay for the Guardian

Updated

Dorian is 110 miles from West Palm Beach

Let’s see if the hurricane picks up speed towards the US, even as its own strength weakens.

West Palm Beach is relatively humble city on the mainland opposite Palm Beach, location of Donald Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort and gazillionaire mansions, exclusive beach clubs, etc, etc.

Floridians in this area were pretty chill about Dorian at the weekend, as this dispatch for the Guardian showed, and are likely to be relatively relaxed about the hurricane’s closer approach at this time.

Our contributor Maria Bakkalapulo was in Palm Beach and Jupiter, then made her way, with photographer Niall Macaulay, north towards the Space Coast (east of Orlando) and now to Daytona Beach, watching to see what Dorian brings for Florida, especially in the form of storm surge flooding.

Georgia and the Carolinas remain braced for effects, if not direct impact of a landfall, from the storm in the next couple of days.

US State Department advisory

Here’s more contact info on the Bahamas from the State Dept.

Dorian from Space

Here’s a view of the massive cyclone from the Space Station.

Southern eyewall continues to pound Grand Bahama Island

The National Hurricane Center reports, as of 8AM EDT (US east coast time, 1PM BST) that the eye of Dorian is beginning to inch northwestward, towards the US.

A new tropical cyclone is forming in the southwest Gulf of Mexico.

Dorian on the move

The latest news is that Dorian is actually shifting. Almost imperceptibly perhaps, but the hurricane is on the move, traveling northwest at 1mph.

This news will bring a small sigh of relief for the Bahamas. But as the storm moves away we will begin to hear more details about what has actually happened in the islands and the terrible destruction the tempest has wrought there.

Florida now in its tracks but looks like it will stay far enough from the coast that the state will avoid the worst conditions.

Where is Dorian now?

Here’s a latest, very clear map from the Guardian of the path of Dorian over the Bahamas.

.
Dorian moves slowly across the Bahamas

Updated

Emergency number

Here’s a reminder of a national emergency number in the Bahamas to use to try checking up on anyone who might be cut-off or missing.

It was just posted to Twitter as a reminder from a news outlet in Orlando.

“This hurricane will totally destroy this island”

The Freeport Times in the Bahamas just tweeted an impromptu image of a rain-soaked window looking out onto windswept palms, with an almost despairing message.

“Dorian will really not move away.”

Opening post

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Hurricane Dorian. Here is the latest:

  • Five people are confirmed dead after Dorian stalled over the island of Grand Bahama for a day, staying in roughly the same position for 12 hours
  • Bahama’s prime minister, Hubert Minnis, described the hurricane as a “historic tragedy in parts of our northern Bahamas”
  • Storm surges of 12 to 18 feet (4-5 meters) above normal hit Grand Bahama Island
  • Up to 13,000 homes have been destroyed or severely damaged
  • Dorian was downgraded to a category 3 hurricane early on Tuesday, meaning it still packs winds of 120mph
  • Gusts of over 100mph have hit Florida’s east coast and evacuation orders are in place in Florida, South Carolina, Georgia and Virginia
  • More than 1,300 flights have been cancelled in the US as well as to and from the country. Up to 1,000 more are expected to be cancelled on Tuesday
Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites
Already a member? Sign in here
Our Picks
The America’s Next Top Model documentary is deeply disturbing — because we’ve seen it all before
I was expecting an exposé, but the ugly truth has been out there since it aired
Evening Standard
Evening Standard
‘Our reservation was canceled by some guy who works for Marriott in Las Vegas’: Couple checks into Westin on honeymoon. Then they get stranded in Cabo
A couple on their honeymoon has sparked discussion on TikTok after claiming Marriott cancelled their reservation at a Westin resort in Cabo, Mexico, without any prior notice.
The Mary Sue
The Mary Sue
‘Heath Ledger knocked my tooth out jousting with a broom’: how we made A Knight’s Tale
‘The lances were made of balsa wood and filled with uncooked spaghetti – so that when they broke, there’d be an explosion of what looked like splinters’
The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Part star, part supporting actor, Robert Duvall lit up 1970s American cinema – and kept going
Robert Duvall, who has died at the age of 95, will be remembered for a glittering career that saw him appear in two of American cinema’s most iconic films. But let’s not forget the other hundred or so more across a career spanning six decades.
The Conversation
The Conversation
‘Unintentionally among the queerest releases of its time’: why Calamity Jane is my feelgood movie
The latest in our ongoing series of writers picking their comfort watches is an appreciation of Doris Day’s rule-defying heroine
The Guardian - US
The Guardian - US
Netflix’s new drama miniseries is based on a shocking true story — but it’s too intense to binge-watch
Netflix’s new drama series “Lead Children” has crashed the top 10, following a young doctor racing to uncover why children near an industrial plant are falling ill.
Tom’s Guide
Tom’s Guide
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.
Download on the AppStore Get it on Google Play