Hurricane Dorian stalled over the Bahamas on Monday, leaving a trail of destruction as the Category 5 storm pounded the island with wind gusts of 220 mph and a 23 foot storm surge.
Forecasters say Dorian has slowed over the Bahamas, with the storm's top sustained winds decreasing slightly to 165 mph. The National Hurricane Center said in a statement that wind gusts of up to 200 mph and storm surges of up to 23 feet above normal tide levels will continue through most of the day on Monday, causing "extreme destruction on the island." Video posted online showed gusts of wind toppling trees, flipping cars and some homes left completely underwater.
"This is a life-threatening situation. 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 National Hurricane Center said in an update Monday morning.
"Residents in the Abacos should continue to stay in their shelter until conditions subside later today," the center added.
"This is probably the saddest and worst day for me to address the Bahamian people," said Prime Minister Hubert Minnis in a tweet. "We are facing a hurricane that we have never seen in The Bahamas. Please pray for us."
Forecasters say Florida and the East Coast are still a target for the storm, with the center forecasting Dorian to turn northwest on Tuesday, moving about 40 miles off the coast from Port St. Lucie to Palm Beach. Life-threatening storm surges and hurricane-force winds are expected to hit along portions of Florida's coast through this week, with hurricane warnings in effect.
"Only a slight deviation to the left of the official forecast would bring the core of Dorian near or over the Florida east coast," the center warned. Forecasters also expect strong winds and storm surges along the Georgia and Carolinas coasts later this week as well. Governors in both states have ordered at least 1 million people living in coastal regions to evacuate, beginning on Monday.
Officials at both Fort Lauderdale and Palm Beach international airports have shut down operations ahead of Dorian's arrival on Monday.
“This thing is perilously close to the state. I think we should all hope and pray for the best, but we have to prepare that this could have major impacts on the state of Florida,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. "You do just a touch of a bump one way or another, and you have a dramatic difference all of a sudden.”
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