Airports in Florida have been shut down, while several towns and cities have been ordered to evacuate.
On Monday evening (local time), Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis that there have been five deaths so far confirmed, as Hurricane Dorian continues to strike.
Minnis said that the devastation there is "unprecedented and extensive. We are in the midst of a historic tragedy."
He has warned that rescue crews can only attempt to respond to calls for help once the weather has died down significantly. Local authorities have urged people to find flotation devices and use hammers to break out of their attics if necessary amid massive flooding.
The
U.S. National Hurricane Service have stated that their current forecast tracks he core of the hurricane offshore, running dangerously close to the east coast of the U.S. from Florida to North Carolina over the next three days, although exactly how close that will be remains unclear, and even a small deviation could change the intensity and direction.
Florida's busiest airport, in Orlando, is closed all day today (Tuesday 3 Sept) with 1,300 flights to and from the States already cancelled due to Hurricane Dorian, and at least another 1,000 cancellations are expected today.
On Sunday, it was recorded that Hurricane Dorian's maximum sustained windspeed of 185mph (297kph) was tied for the most powerful Atlantic hurricane ever to make landfall.
https://twitter.com/NHC_Atlantic/status/1168641070801899520?s=20
