HURRICANE DORIAN UPDATE - 7 year old confirmed death with Numerous casualties
A 7-year-old boy is the first reported fatality from Hurricane Dorian, the Category 5 storm said to be the worst the Bahamas have ever endured. Lachino Mcintosh drowned while his family tried to relocate from their home in Abaco, The Bahama Press reported. His sister is also missing, according to a tweet by the publication.
The storm made landfall on the southern end of Elbow Cay on the Caribbean islands on Sunday in the first Category 5 storm there since 1992. The storm also hit Grand Bahama island hard with high winds and torrential rainfall.
First death recorded in Abaco following Hurrican Dorian passage on Abaco....
— Bahamas Press (@Bahamaspress) 2 September 2019
BP BREAKING| The first recorded death of Hurricane Dorian is now being confirmed. Seven year-old, Lachino Mcintosh, drowned after his family attempts to relocate their home. McIntosh's sister is missing pic.twitter.com/UQ99XPlBEa
Videos from residents on Great Abaco island showed trees bending and heavy rain as winds up to 180 miles per hour tore roofs from buildings and caused severe flooding across the Caribbean islands.
Prime Minister Hubert Minnis tweeted: "This is probably the saddest and worst day for me to address the Bahamian people. We are facing a hurricane that we have never seen in The Bahamas. Please pray for us."
Today I gave a live national briefing on the extremely dangerous #HurricaneDorian from NEMA Headquarters. This is probably the saddest and worst day for me to address the Bahamian people. We are facing a hurricane that we have never seen in The Bahamas. Please pray for us. pic.twitter.com/YOCoOaHI6x
— Dr Hubert Minnis (@minnis_dr) 1 September 2019
There is widespread devastation to the Abaco towns of Marsh Harbour, Murphy Town, and Dundas Town, with people left homeless, while power and communications have been cut off. The Bahama Press reported that already damage is estimated at around $8 billion.
"The place is a disaster, no business is operable and bodies are floating around Big Cat. The concern is nobody knows how many people died, and they feel when the water subsides some bodies will be washed out to sea," the publication reported.
Louby Georges, director of international affairs for Human Rights Bahamas, told the New York Times that many people were panicking as the storm approached. "People are sending voice notes, people are crying. You can hear people hollering in the background."
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A new satellite image of Hurricane Dorian shows just how destructive the storm continues to be as it lumbers toward the US.
The image was captured at 3:03 a.m. ET and was tweeted by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says the storm will likely turn north over the next couple of days, but the variance in timing of the turn will make all the difference. Just a change of a few hours could be the difference between a landfall in Florida and no landfall at all.
Here's what Category 5 #HurricaneDorian looked like through the night skies early this morning, courtesy of the Suomi NPP satellite. For updates on this extremely dangerous #hurricane: @NHC_Atlantic #Bahamas #GrandBahamaIsland #Abacos pic.twitter.com/0dVZM6Gy5C
— NOAA Satellites PA (@NOAASatellitePA) 2 September 2019
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis says 72 nursing homes and assisted living facilities along the coast have been evacuated as Dorian approaches.
Some Florida hospitals have also started evacuating or making plans to evacuated, DeSantis said.
Numerous casualties have been reported on the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian.
“From all accounts, we have received catastrophic damage” to Abaco, according to Darren Henfield, Bahamian Minister of Foreign Affairs. “We have reports of casualties. We have reports of bodies being seen. We cannot confirm those reports until we go out and see for ourselves."
First responders are traveling to Abaco, where citizens have been told to remain indoors due to downed lamp posts, trees and power lines.
"It is very dangerous to be outdoors if you don’t have to be outdoors," Henfield said. "We’re holding strong… We’re just asking you to continue to pray for us."
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Here's what to expect from the storm before it makes landfall
MONDAY
Dorian creeps toward Florida's east coast
Moving at a walking pace of 1-4 miles an hour, Dorian continues to lash the North Bahamas with the eye directly over Grand Bahama Monday morning
A storm surge up to 20 feet is likely occurring in the North Bahamas
Hurricane conditions are likely for anyone within 40 miles from the storm's center
Dorian is expected to still be a Category 5 storm the entire time it is over Grand Bahama
The center of the storm will move off the island by mid-afternoon
It continues to rain in the northwestern Bahamas, where up to 12 to 24 inches of rain is expected to fall, with isolated amounts of 30 inches
Tropical-storm-force winds will begin to move into the Florida Peninsula on Monday morning, likely occurring first in the West Palm Beach/Port St. Lucie area
Outer bands from the storm will move through starting Monday morning, but there will also probably be times of sun in between the clouds and showers
The center of Dorian should be just under 100 miles east of West Palm Beach Monday morning
Dorian slowly begins moving northwest and spreading tropical-storm-force winds over more of Florida
By evening, tropical-storm-force winds will be pushing into central Florida
The center of Dorian will be around 60 miles from the Florida coast between West Palm Beach and Port St. Lucie Monday evening
Some hurricane-force wind gusts could be possible beginning Monday evening in Florida
TUESDAY
Landfall is still a distinct possibility in Florida and residents should monitor the track closely
What is expected -- but not certain -- is that Dorian starts to make its closest pass to Florida and then turns northward and moves parallel to the coastline
Though the official forecast calls for the center of the storm to stay around 40-50 miles offshore, any slight deviation could bring the eye into Florida
Even if it doesn't, hurricane-force winds are likely to be overland on Tuesday along Florida's east coast
Rain should be steady but might not be constant, depending on how close the storm gets
Tropical-storm-force winds will not end on Abaco until at least Tuesday morning and tropical-storm-force winds end on Grand Bahama late Tuesday afternoon
WEDNESDAY
The storm continues to produce hurricane-force winds as it heads north with some more weakening forecast
By Wednesday morning the center of the storm will only have made it up to about the Daytona Beach to Jacksonville area
There is an increasing risk of strong winds and dangerous storm surge along the coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina
Flooding rainfall continues from southern Florida into Georgia
Tropical-storm-force winds arrive in Georgia and then the Carolinas by Wednesday evening
Closest approach to Georgia and not out of the realm of possibility for a landfall
THURSDAY
The closest approach to the Carolina coast and the possibility of a landfall
Tropical-storm-force winds continue for the Carolina coast with hurricane-force winds possible
The storm should weaken to a Category 2
Storm surge will likely still be a problem
FRIDAY
The storm is near the outer banks of North Carolina and then begins to move away from the shore
Kenneth from the Donegal Weather Channel.
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Kind Regards
Kenneth