03 SEP 2019: Hurricane Dorian’s ferocious winds weakened just a bit as the storm hovered over the Bahamas and gave the islands a merciless pounding. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said at 4 p.m. EDT Monday that the Category 4 storm’s maximum sustained winds fell to 145 mph (233 kph) – down from 155 mph (250 kph) earlier in the day.
On Sunday, Dorian blasted the Bahamas with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (297 kph) and gusts up to 220 mph (354 kph), tying the record for the most powerful Atlantic hurricane to ever make landfall. The only recorded storm that was more powerful was Hurricane Allen in 1980, with 190 mph (305 kph) winds, though it did not make landfall at that strength.
The storm was expected to slowly move northeast, but on Monday afternoon it remained about 25 miles (40 kilometres) northeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama island. It was about 105 miles (170 kilometres) east of West Palm Beach, Florida.
The centre said the storm was moving “dangerously close” to the Florida East Coast late Monday through Wednesday evening.
A hurricane warning along Florida’s east coast was extended northward to the Flagler-Volusia county line. A hurricane watch was extended northward to Altamaha Sound in Georgia.
The storm’s centre was located about 30 miles (50 kilometres) northeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island and about 110 miles (180 miles) east of West Palm Beach, Florida.
BAHAMAS
Dorian continued to batter the Bahamas on Monday with life-threatening winds and storm surge. It inflicted devastation on Grand Bahama Island throughout the day, and officials expected many residents to be left homeless, although most people went to shelters as the storm approached. Tourist hotels were shut down in anticipation of the storm’s arrival.
“It’s devastating,” Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, said Sunday afternoon. “There has been huge damage to property and infrastructure. Luckily, no loss of life reported.”
Delta Air Lines said that a flight from Atlanta to Nassau, Bahamas, was forced to turn back because of high crosswind speeds.
Flight 337, which had 42 customers on board, took off just before 10 a.m. EDT Monday because forecasts showed crosswinds within limits and Nassau’s airport was open. But wind speeds increased while the flight was en route, so it returned to Atlanta.
Delta said it would offer hotel rooms for those customers and rebook them on a Tuesday flight. The airline also said that all remaining Delta flights to or from the Bahamas on Monday were cancelled.
GEORGIA
Georgia’s governor was urging coastal residents to flee ahead of Hurricane Dorian on Monday, citing the storm’s powerful winds and uncertain path.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp told reporters in Savannah: “This is not one to play with.”
It was Kemp’s first news conference since late Sunday when he ordered mandatory evacuations in all six counties that make up Georgia’s 100-mile (161-kilometre) coastline.
Kemp said those living on Georgia’s barrier islands especially ought to flee, warning that emergency responders may not be able to reach them if causeways are underwater or blocked by debris.
Georgia officials plan to turn Interstate 16 linking Savannah and Macon into a one-way evacuation route Tuesday. The state Department of Transportation is asking motorists to consider alternate routes in anticipation of additional evacuation traffic from Florida and South Carolina.
Donald Trump approved emergency declarations for Georgia and South Carolina on Sunday, which authorize the Federal Emergency Management Agency to co-ordinate disaster relief efforts.
FLORIDA
Palm Beach International Airport closed Monday morning as Hurricane Dorian approached the Florida coast, and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport closed at noon.
They are two of the three major airports serving South Florida.
Miami International Airport remained open, but warned travellers that it was expecting higher than normal traffic and to arrive early for their flights.
Trump approved an emergency declaration for Florida on Friday.