Hurricane Dorian, the second-strongest Atlantic storm on record, battered the Bahamas on Monday, and claimed at least one life. An eight-year-old boy’s grandmother said that her grandson died on Abaco island, according to Eyewitness News.
The monster Category 5 storm peeled off roofs, toppled cars and snapped power lines, Reuters reported. The storm was reportedly moving towards the eastern coast of the United States, where authorities have ordered more than a million people to be evacuated in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia.
The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said as many as 13,000 houses may have been severely damaged or destroyed. “We don’t yet have a complete picture of what has happened,” it said in a statement. “But it is clear that Hurricane Dorian has had a catastrophic impact. We anticipate extensive shelter needs, alongside the need for short-term economic support, as well as for clean water and health assistance”.
The National Hurricane Centre in Miami also warned of a possible storm surge, which could push destructive waves higher than many roofs in the islands. “The hurricane will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late Monday through Tuesday night,” the NHC said. “Even a glancing blow from one of the strongest storms ever to menace Florida could bring torrential rains and damaging winds,” the NHC added.
Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said that a “deadly storm and a monster storm” was battering the islands. “This will put us to a test that we’ve never confronted before,” Minnis said. “This is probably the most sad and worst day of my life to address the Bahamian people”.
Forecasters said Dorian is to remain a hurricane for the next five days.
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