Hurricane Dorian threatens the US

Go here for the latest on Hurricane Dorian.

Dorian has wreaked havoc in the Bahamas and we’re only now starting to get a sense of the extent of the destruction left in its wake.

Neko Gibson is the founder and owner of BahamasEvac services in Nassau. He spoke to CNN shortly after returning from Abacos, where he has been assisting in evacuation and rescue operations.

“Everybody’s trying to do the best that they can,” Gibson said Wednesday morning. “Problem is the winds and weather that has been a hazard for traffic to get in and out of Abaco.”

He praised the authorities for their tireless work and said that most of the runways were still unusable with only one operating in the south.

Hurricane Dorian has left the Bahamas devastated, with residents reporting widespread damage – homes ripped apart, water covering everything in its path. Relief organizations are scrambling to help and we’re just beginning to?understand how bad the damage is.

You can help raise funds for supplies and assistance that’s so desperately needed. Find out more here:

An aerial view of the destruction caused by Hurricane Dorian in Abaco, Bahamas.

Related article Here's how you can help Hurricane Dorian victims

A striking satellite image of Grand Bahama Island shows vast areas of the island under water.

The yellow lines mark where the land was before the storm flooded the area in this stunning before and after comparison of the island.

21 counties in Georgia are now under a state of emergency.

Georgia’s Governor Brian P. Kemp issued an executive order Wednesday morning, expanding the state of emergency declared last week to now include Appling, Bacon, Bulloch, Clinch, Echols, Evans, Screven, Tattnall, and Ware Counties.

Counties Brantley, Bryan, Camden, Charlton, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long, McIntosh, Pierce, and Wayne counties remain under a state of emergency.

The Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office posted a video showing the arrival of Dorian in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

Johnny Miller, the mayor of Fernandina Beach, Florida told CNN that the city is prepping for the worst.

“We’re starting to feel a little bit of a breeze here now so we expect it to be coming in this afternoon and then going throughout this evening. We’ve been under mandatory evacuation for days - we look like we’re going to take a big hit,” Miller told CNN Wednesday.

The city, which is situated between the ocean and a river and is home to more than 12,000 residents, has created large sand barricades across vulnerable swathes of beach in preparation for the storm’s arrival.

Miller said that his main concern was over getting people to evacuate before the bridges close.

He added that there’s been an “unprecedented response” to the mandatory evacuation.

“We’ve been through several of these in the past,” he added.

Rescue missions are underway in the Bahamas by civilians who are volunteering to brave treacherous conditions around the island on their own boats and jet skis in an effort to rescue neighbors, friends and strangers.

In Freeport, CNN’s Patrick Oppmann and crew were able to capture these efforts of volunteers, who are working around the clock in harrowing conditions.

The volunteers have been able to save dozens of people who are in “awful shape,” who had been seen swimming in the water, hanging onto roofs, and who had witnessed their relatives carried off by the storm surge.

Intense hurricane conditions are still battering much of the island and several boats and jet skis flipped during the rescue attempts, Oppmann reported.

However, some were hopeful that more rescues would begin Wednesday morning after a coast guard helicopter was seen flying over the island late last night. ??

Watch more in Oppmann’s report from Freeport here:

All operations at Charleston International Airport will cease at 3 p.m. ET on Wednesday, the airport said.?

Depending on the weather conditions, airport operations are expected to resume Friday morning.??

The airport said that it strongly recommends that passengers stay in contact with airlines for up to date information on flight operations and cancellations.?

Passengers can also check the airline’s website for updates.

File photograph of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

Britain’s Queen Elizabeth said she is “shocked and saddened” by the devastation caused by Hurricane Dorian, in a condolence message on Tuesday.

“At this very difficult time, my thoughts and prayers are with those who have seen their homes and property destroyed, and I also send my gratitude to the emergency services and volunteers who are supporting the rescue and recovery effort,” the message also said.

Residents at Vero Beach in Indian River County, Florida.

There are more than 7,100 customers without power, according to the Florida Emergency Management.

Majority of the outages are in Brevard County and Indian River County.?

A flooded street in downtown Nassau on Wednesday.

Tens of thousands are in need of food support in the Bahamas after Hurricane Dorian caused devastation in its northern islands, according to a preliminary analysis by the World Food Programme (WFP).

The numbers may total over 14,500 on Abaco Island and over 45,700 on Grand Bahama Island, WFP spokesperson Herve Verhoosel said.

However, WFP is awaiting the completion of a three-day joint assessment by the WFP and the?Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency to ascertain more precise numbers, Verhoosel said.

Verhoosel said the WFP will work with the Bahamian government in “rapidly assessing the damage from the hurricane and in prioritizing needs.”

The coastal city of Virginia Beach, just above the North Carolina border, is preparing for Dorian, which is expected to move north toward the Carolinas on Thursday.

Preparations include checking storm drains and pump stations, inspecting equipment, and servicing generators, according to city officials.

Meanwhile, Virginia Beach Public Works has announced that sand will be available starting Wednesday morning for residents to fill sandbags in preparation of possible flooding and storm effects.

Sand will be delivered to the Virginia Beach Sportsplex at 9:30 a.m. City officials warned that there would be a limited number of shovels and sand containers available, and residents are encouraged to bring their own.

Virginia Beach SPCA has asked supporters to avoid dropping off any additional donations until after the storm has passed, as it prepares its shelter for the hurricane.

Strong winds batter Florida's Jensen Beach on Tuesday.

Dorian may have weakened, but it’s gaining speed as it moves toward the coast of the southeast US.

The hurricane was moving at 6 mph a few hours ago, and has now increased to 8 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Its maximum sustained winds have lessened slightly, from 110 mph earlier today to 105.

Residents along the coast of Florida are already feeling some effects, with strong wind and rainbands.

Rain caused by Hurricane Dorian has moved onshore the coast of northeastern Florida, the National Hurricane Center has said in its latest hourly advisory.

The update also reports winds of 72 mph (115 km/h) and a gust of 89 mph (144 km/h) in the past hour, at a location around 140 miles (220 kilometers) east of Cape Canaveral, Florida.?

Where’s Dorian?

Tropical storm conditions are occurring along portions of the northeast Florida coast, as Hurricane Dorian moves within 80 miles of Cape Canaveral. The storm is bringing sustained winds of 110 mph as it continues along its north-northwestern path at around 7 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

What is the storm’s path?

Hurricane Dorian?is expected to skirt the Florida and Georgia coasts overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, then move northward to threaten the South and North Carolina coasts later in the week.

A turn toward the north is forecast by Wednesday evening, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast on Thursday morning.?NHC said earlier that “the core of Hurricane Dorian will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast and the Georgia coast through Wednesday night.”

“Maximum sustained winds remain near 110 mph (175 km/h) with higher gusts.?Some weakening is expected during the next couple of days, and Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next few days,” the center said.

Hurricane Dorian is continuing to move north northwest up the Florida coast, towards Georgia and the Carolinas.

According to the National Hurricane Center, the storm’s eye is currently passing to the east of Cape Canaveral. Maximum sustained winds of 110 mph have been recorded as the storm continues movement north at 7 mph.

Track the storm

Damage is seen from Hurricane Dorian on Abaco Island on September 3, 2019 in the Bahamas.

The Bahamas have been pummelled by the hurricane, and as officials start to take stock of the damage, other countries are offering support.

Hubert Minnis, the Bahamas prime minister, said on Tuesday that he will speak with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Wednesday morning about Canadian assistance.

Mark Lowcock, the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Emergency Relief Coordinator, and Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley will also visit the Bahamas to provide help.

The six-week-old puppy was adopted ahead of Hurricane Dorian.

A Florida officer responded to a call on Monday from a local resident who was unable to take care of a puppy. Now, the puppy has found its forever home – and a new name.

Officer Michel Jean adopted the six-week-old puppy, which was too young to be left in a shelter until the storm passed, and named it Dory, short for Dorian, said the Fort Pierce Police Department.

Officer Jean told CNN affiliate WPBF?that the humane society, was closed so he decided to keep the pup. His son, pictured here, looks delighted to have a new addition to the family.

Officer Michel Jean's son with Dory, the adopted puppy.

The Hope Town Volunteer Fire & Rescue, a volunteer fire brigade in the Bahamas, gave an overview of the damage across the island chain late Tuesday night.

In Elbow Cay on the Abaco Islands, where Dorian had first made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on Sunday night, 30% of structures had been demolished and the other 70% were damaged to severely damaged.

Most docks were destroyed and unusable, with 99% of boats sunk, the brigade’s Facebook post said.

In Man-O-War Cay, also in the Abacos, “all docks destroyed and every boat sunk,” the post said. 90% of structures were damaged to severely damaged, with the remaining 10% destroyed.

In Dickies Cay, all docks were destroyed, with half the structures destroyed and half damaged.

Where’s Dorian?

Dorian is continuing to lash the east coast of central Florida. The hurricane is currently around 95 mile east of Cape Canaveral, where it is bringing with it maximum sustained gusts of 110 mph. Dorian’s movement speed has increased somewhat, it’s now moving north-northwest at around 8 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

What is the storm’s path?

Hurricane Dorian?is expected to skirt the Florida and Georgia coasts overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, then move northward to threaten the South and North Carolina coasts later in the week.

A turn toward the north is forecast by Wednesday evening, followed by a turn toward the north-northeast on Thursday morning.?NHC said that “the core of Hurricane Dorian will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast and the Georgia coast through Wednesday night.”

Will it make landfall?

Landfall in Charleston, Wilmington or the Outer Banks is not out of the question, CNN meteorologist Judson Jones said earlier.

“The hurricane is forecast to track dangerously close to the Carolinas,” Jones said. “Any wobble to the West and the chances of landfall in South and North Carolina is more likely. Currently, a few of the forecast models have shown a slight westward trend, which is something meteorologists will continue to watch closely.”

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President Donald Trump has declared a state of emergency in North Carolina and ordered federal assistance “to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from Hurricane Dorian,” the White House said in a statement.

Earlier Trump tweeted that he had spoken with Sen. Thom Tillis who had requested the aid, adding, “Hope you won’t need it!”?

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis told CNN on Tuesday that “people need to know that the Bahamas have been attacked by a vicious devastating storm.”?

Speaking to CNN’s Chris Cuomo, Minnis said Hurricane Dorian has “caused severe damage to two of our major islands that is Abaco and Grand Bahama.”

“New Providence which is the engine and touristic center of the Bahamas has not been touched and is still functional, that is our economic engine for the entire Bahamas. and New Providence will have to rebuild those two islands,” he added.

Additional security troops have been deployed to the island of Abaco to avoid any violence and looting, Minnis said in a separate statement.

The north Bahamas town of Marsh Harbour has been devastated by Dorian, with more than 60% of homes damaged by the storm, the country’s Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said at a press conference in the capital Nassau on Tuesday.

Speaking at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) headquarters, Minnis added that “a community outside Treasure Cay, Cooperstown, has been cut off from (the) main population, at least 30 people (are) trapped in the community and were waving yellow flags, sheets, shirts, to bring attention to their survival.”

“Our urgent task will be to provide food, water, shelter, safety and security,” Minnis said. “Additional food will be delivered by NEMA tomorrow.”

The Prime Minister said that Dorian was “the greatest national crisis in our country’s history.”

Where’s Dorian? The hurricane is about 110 miles east of Cape Canaveral, Florida, and is slowly picking up speed from its days-long standstill. It’s moving to the northwest at about 6 mph, the the National Hurricane Center said.

In its 9 p.m. ET advisory, the NHC predicts that the storm’s center will stay about 100 miles off the coast.

What’s happening tonight?

Hurricane Dorian?is expected to skirt the Florida and Georgia coasts overnight Tuesday into Wednesday, then move northward to threaten the South and North Carolina coasts later in the week.

Hurricane-force wind gusts are likely to be overland along Florida’s east coast and storm surge of 4 to 7 feet is also possible along the coast.

Would it make landfall?

Landfall in Charleston, Wilmington or the Outer Banks is not out of the question, CNN meteorologist Judson Jones said.

“The hurricane is forecast to track dangerously close to the Carolinas,” Jones said. “Any wobble to the West and the chances of landfall in South and North Carolina is more likely. Currently, a few of the forecast models have shown a slight westward trend, which is something meteorologists will continue to watch closely.”

Track the storm

Freeport resident Howard Armstrong described how his wife drowned in front of him after the storm surge from Hurricane Dorian swamped their home.

“We were doing all right until the water kept coming up and all the appliances were going around the house, like the washer machine,” said Armstrong, who is a crab fisherman.

The water flooded the home to the point that his wife had to climb on top of their kitchen cabinets, Armstrong said.

Only their heads were above the water. After hours of waiting in the flooded house for rescue, Armstrong’s wife succumbed to hypothermia and slipped under the water.

“She was gone so quickly,” Armstrong said as he waited for his wife’s body to be recovered.

Armstrong said he then “took a chance” and swam outside the house, and was rescued.

The death toll from Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas is now at least 7, Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said on Tuesday.

Speaking to reporters at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) Headquarters in Nassau, Minnis said the victims died in Abaco.

Minnis also noted that at least 25 others were wounded.

The South Carolina Emergency Management Division has tweeted out an alert urging residents in the evacuated zones to leave immediately.

Officials say residents should evacuate no later than Wednesday morning to reach “a safe distance from Hurricane Dorian.”

Here are the areas that authorities say must be evacuated immediately:

They also noted that tropical storm force winds may not make travel possible on the following coastal bridges by Wednesday afternoon:

Forty-seven people have been airlifted from neighborhoods all over the Bahamas, Rear Adm. Eric Jones, commander of the Coast Guard’s 7th District, told CNN’s Erin Burnett on Tuesday.

Many of them needed medical attention, Jones said, after suffering blunt trauma, head injuries and even a broken pelvis.

Jones said one of the biggest challenges they are facing is that each aircraft can only lift “three to five people at a time.” He also said the capacity of the Nassau hospital is “limited.”

The Walt Disney Company plans to donate $1 million “in cash and in-kind support to help and recovery efforts” in the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

Disney said the donation will help nonprofit relief agencies and also include food supplies and basic construction materials.

In 1997, Disney purchased its first island in the Bahamas, Castaway Cay, where Disney cruise ships port. The exclusive island employs more than 60 Bahamians from Abaco and Grand Bahama, as well as several employees from other Bahamian islands, according to the statement.

An estimated 244,000 people have evacuated homes in South Carolina zones expected to be impacted by Dorian, Derrec Becker, a spokesman with the state’s emergency management division, said.

Katherine Toker and her two sons were feeling restless and they decided go look at the surf at St. Augustine Beach, Florida.

When they arrived, they quickly spotted a sinister sight over the ocean on Tuesday afternoon and captured a photo.

The image shows an outer band of Hurricane Dorian, according to CNN meteorologist Judson Jones.

Here’s the photo:

St. Augustine, Florida

A total of 115 general shelters and 48 special needs facilities are welcoming evacuees in Florida, the governor’s office said.

Jared Moskowitz, the director of the state’s division of emergency management, urged Florida residents to take the threats seriously because the state will still see storm surge and high winds Tuesday night and Wednesday.

“The images coming in from the Bahamas are gut wrenching, but show exactly how fortunate Florida has been with this storm, however, there will still be impacts in Florida from Hurricane Dorian,”?Moskowitz said.

Hurricane Hunters are flying planes directly into this record-breaking storm to gather the most accurate, up-to-date information on hurricanes.

“What I see when I’m out in the plane flying is a direct impact that we are able to make to help people protect themselves, and their loved ones, and their possessions,” Maj. Christopher Dyke, an?aerial reconnaissance weather officer?with the US Air Force Reserve, told CNN.

Hurricane Dorian, the strongest to ever hit the Bahamas, has had a unique path, and the data the Hurricane Hunters have collected from inside the storm has been invaluable.

Using a device called a dropsonde, they can collect information including atmospheric pressure, wind speed, and wind direction. Changes in these numbers can help forecasters at the National Hurricane Center determine whether the storm is strengthening, shifting direction, or even changing in size or shape.

Dyke also said half of hurricane hunters are “citizen airmen” who have regular civilian lives but for two weeks a year carry out their reserve duty.

Hurricane Hunters fly above the Bahamas after being inundated by Dorian

After a group of men helped rescue a young boy and his family from a flooded neighborhood in Freeport, CNN’s Patrick Oppmann briefly spoke with one of them.

Oppmann: “How many people are still out there?”

Unidentified man: “A few hundred.”

Oppmann: “How long are you going to keep doing it?”

Unidentified man: “Until we get everybody. We are Bahamians, we are not going to stop until we get everybody out.”

All Verizon customers will have unlimited texts and calls from the US to the Bahamas until next Monday.

Customers in Florida, Georgia and North Carolina who are in the path of Dorian will also have unlimited calling, texting and data. The offer includes prepaid customers and small businesses until Monday.

The following counties are some of the areas where customers will have unlimited service:

A team of 39 members from 20 different cities, counties and organizations in Mississippi were sent to Florida over the weekend to support local first responders, the state’s emergency management agency said.

They were deployed with an inflatable rescue raft, a mobile response trailer, a swift water equipment trailer and an enclosed mobile command trailer.

Rescuer John Bridges with the Cajun Navy rides a boat on a trailer after completing a rescue in Lumberton, North Carolina, in 2018 in the wake of Hurricane Florence.

The United Cajun Navy has evolving plans for Dorian, Todd Terrell tells CNN.

He said the volunteer group has convoys on the way to Savannah, Georgia, and Wilmington, North Carolina, to stage in those locations.?Some are already there in place.

The Cajun Navy has helped during a number of hurricanes and natural disasters, including?Hurricane Harvey, which hit Texas in 2017, and massive flooding in New Orleans in 2016.

Hurricane Dorian is pulling away from the Bahamas and moving to the northwest at 6 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center,

The storm has maximum sustained winds of 110 mph and is currently 105 miles east of Vero Beach, Florida.

Dorian is expected to speed up as it moves towards the northwest tonight and a turn more to the north is forecast by tomorrow evening.

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida will resume operations tomorrow with these hours:

Due to “schedule-related impacts associated with Hurricane Dorian,” morning Extra Magic Hours are not available tomorrow, Disney said.

Hurricane Dorian is moving closer to the Florida coast and it continues to grow in size, according to the 5 p.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Canter.

“Winds increasing along portions of the Florida east coast,” the center said in the new advisory.

On this latest track, the core of Hurricane Dorian will move dangerously close to the Florida east coast and the Georgia coast tonight through Wednesday night.?The center of Dorian is forecast to move near or over the coast of South Carolina and North Carolina Thursday through Friday morning.

Dorian has also become a larger hurricane: Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 60 miles from the center and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 175 miles.

Here’s a look at the latest track:

Kendra Clarke said she and her 8-year-old daughter and 11-year-old niece escaped to higher ground when the water?started?to?rise?in?Freeport, Bahamas.

When they got back home, they noticed the?water?had?risen significantly in the half hour they were away. That’s when they decided?to?leave.?

“I went home and packed my passports, I packed the girls’ clothes. We just shut up shop and we just left,” she said.?

Unfortunately, the church nearby wasn’t taking anyone else in because of overcrowding.?

“I sat by the church that’s on the hill but they had so many people they weren’t able?to?take anyone else. So, I just sat in my car for the next 3 hours,” she said. “Then the?water?started?to?rise.”

Thankfully, her brother, who’s in Chicago and works?at?the Bahama’s Grand Lucayan,?told her by phone that the?hotel?was accepting evacuees.?

“They were very helpful during this time, they gave us beds, feeding us breakfast, I must commend the Lucayan and its staff,” she said.

She took this video of the rising floodwaters:

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper has issued a mandatory evacuation for the barrier islands beginning Wednesday.

Officials in North Carolina said the state’s ports will close at 1 p.m. tomorrow ahead of Dorian.

Gov. Cooper has activated more than 300 National Guard members and the state is staging water rescue teams near the coast.?

Hurricane Dorian wreaked havoc on Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Here’s the first aerial footage we’ve seen from the area since the storm.

Several Florida counties are calling off their mandatory evacuations as Dorian travels closer to the state’s coast.

St. Lucie County will lift mandatory evacuations at 6 p.m. ET today.

The Emergency Operations Center is scaling back operations and some personnel is being sent home.There have been no major power outages reported in the county and the only damage reported at this point is erosion, but assessments continue.

Martin County officials have lifted the mandatory evacuation order that was put into place beginning at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.

While shelters remain open, residents are now allowed to return to their home, county officials said in a press release.?

Palm Beach County will lift the mandatory evacuation orders for Zones A and B at 4 p.m. ET today.

CNN’s Patrick Oppmann saw civilians in the Bahamas coming to the aid of fellow citizens today in Freeport, one of the hardest-hit areas of Grand Bahama island.

They used small boats and jet skis to rescue neighbors, friends and members of their community, despite the tropical-storm force winds and rains that are still pummeling the area.

These ad-hoc rescue efforts are dangerous and harrowing, Oppmann says.

Those rescued have been utterly exhausted after spending all night clinging to their roofs or being stuck in their attics.??

One man who was rescued while CNN was there says his wife drowned in front of him.?He said he hoped to recover her body.?

Others said their relatives are still missing.

In an off-camera briefing at the Pentagon today led by Gen.?Terrence O’Shaughnessy, Commander of U.S. Northern Command, officials provided?these metrics on what the Defense Department is doing, and what it is prepared to offer if requested in response to Hurricane Dorian:?

Volusia County Sheriff detectives are investigating reports of two residents who were allegedly scammed out of thousands of dollars, jewelry?and other property.

One elderly woman was scammed out of $20,000 when a group posing as a tree trimming business offered to help her clear her yard before the storm, sheriff Michael Chitwood said in a press conference Tuesday afternoon.

The other victim was a visually impaired person who allowed someone posing as a city worker into their home. Deputies have arrested two suspects, including a male and a juvenile female, linked to a string of burglaries at a strip mall where cash and other items were taken, Chitwood said.

Tropical Storm Fernand has formed in the western Gulf of Mexico, according to the National Hurricane Center. This is the sixth?named tropical storm of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season.

Fernand has maximum sustained winds of 40 mph and is located 160 miles east of La Pesca, moving towards the west at 7 mph.?

The forecast calls for Fernand to make landfall along the northern Gulf coast of Mexico tomorrow evening.?Tropical Storm Warnings are posted for the far northeastern coast of Mexico from Barra del Tordo to Mouth of the Rio Grande River.?

CNN’s Patrick Oppmann has just returned from a trip on a boat around some of the devastated areas near Freeport on Grand Bahama.??

He reports that “conditions were much worse than expected.” Patrick and the CNN team saw private citizens traveling the area on boats and sitting on jet skis.?

He says hundreds of homes are under water.?

Patrick also reported survivors are exhausted.?Rescuers helping them have had to carry them as survivors have been clinging to their roofs all night.

Dorian is finally moving away from Grand Bahama island after dumping around 30 inches of rain on the island over the past few days.

The government of the Bahamas has now changed the hurricane warning to a tropical storm warning for Grand Bahama and the Abacos islands in the northwestern Bahamas, according to the 2 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center.

Dangerous winds and life-threatening storm surge are expected to continue through Tuesday evening in the Bahamas, according to the NHC.

Gov. Roy Cooper issued a mandatory state evacuation order today for vulnerable coastal areas of North Carolina. Hurricane Dorian is expected to bring powerful and dangerous wind and rain to the state later this week.

The evacuation order, effective at 8 a.m. ET Wednesday, Sept. 4, applies to barrier islands along the entire coast, from the Virginia line to the South Carolina line, the governor’s office said in a news release Tuesday afternoon.

Yesterday,?Cooper?requested?a federal?emergency?declaration for North Carolina?ahead of the storm. If granted, this will make?federal aid?available to?the state and its residents?for preparation and relief efforts.??

Shante LaCroix, a resident of New Providence in the Bahamas, captured video of flooding in the streets of the island.

The conditions have gotten worse today, LaCroix told CNN. The following video shows what East Street looked like at noon.

Queen Elizabeth shared her condolences Tuesday with the Governor-General of the Bahamas regarding the destruction his country is facing from Hurricane Dorian.??

Dorian’s eyewall —?the most dangerous part of the storm —?is now moving away from Grand Bahama island, according to the 1 p.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center.

However, dangerous winds and life-threatening storm surge are forecast to continue on Grand Bahama through Tuesday evening.

The island is facing “extreme flooding” after receiving 30 inches of rain from Dorian, the NHC said earlier today.

Bahamas Senator Kwasi Thompson told ZNS TV that rescuers have a faced an “accident prone” scenario that will only get worse as they contend with strong winds, punishing waves and high tide caused by Hurricane Dorian.

Thompson urged the public to avoid the streets.?

Attempted rescues have been extremely dangerous and first responders have often had to return due to a number of structural?impediments, including fallen trees and structures. An Emergency Medical Safety official was forced to swim to safety during a rescue attempt.?

Thompson, who is also the Minister of State for Grand Bahama, made the comments in a live phone interview Tuesday with ZNS TV, the national broadcaster operated by the state-owned Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas.

Rescue efforts are underway in Freeport, Bahamas, where photographs show just how bad the flooding from Hurricane Dorian has become.

Julia Aylen was photographed wading through waist deep water carrying her pet dogs while Matthew Aylen was seen carrying a bag.

Other photos below show damage to streets in Freeport.

Ocean waves are seen during the approach of Hurricane Dorian on Sunday in Nassau, Bahamas.

Hurricane Dorian is the strongest storm ever to hit the Bahamas, and the country will struggle to get its tourism-based economy back on track for quite some time.

Dorian has been moving slowly over the islands. The storm made landfall Sunday over the Abacos Islands as a Category 5 with maximum sustained winds of 140 mph. It has slightly weakened to a Category 2 storm. At least five people have died as a result of the storm.

The damage to the Bahamanian economy might be mitigated by the path of the storm, which is currently crawling over the northern Bahamas. As a result, it is devastating areas with fewer hotel rooms compared to other areas of the country, according to Rick Newton, a founding partner at Resort Capital Partners.?

The Abacos and Grand Bahama Islands have roughly 2,250 hotel rooms, which amounts to less than 15% of the hotel inventory in the country, Newton said. That’s fewer than the roughly 11,000 rooms on the island Nassau, where mega-resorts such as Baha Mar and Atlantis are located.?

Bahamas is the most tourism-dependent economy in the Caribbean: Tourism accounts for 60% of the Bahamas’ $9 billion economy. Newton said it’s too early to estimate how much money the damage will cost. A recent UBS report estimates that Dorian will cost between $15 billion and $25 billion in damage, including the United States, once it’s over.

Bahamas Ministry of Tourism and Aviation Director General Joy Jibrilu said in a release that she’s “deeply concerned for the safety and well-being of all those in Abaco and Grand Bahama Island” and that she’s “grateful that the majority of our 700 islands and cays have been unaffected.”

Dorian’s impacts on the tourism industry is now being felt in Florida as the storm moves closer to the United States. Disney announced some of its parks at Walt Disney World are closed or will be shortening hours until the storm passes. The company didn’t immediately return comment about how much money it will lose.

A team of scientists from NOAA and the University of Oklahoma are heading to Florida this week to collect data from Dorian in hopes of using the research to improve hurricane preparedness.

They are hoping the data they collect “will help them determine why hurricane winds can be so damaging, particularly to buildings and other structures,” the team posted in an article on NOAA.gov. They wrote that the ability to better understand hurricanes could help inform building codes?to “mitigate future damage” from strong storms.

The team is bringing along a special pick-up truck equipped with instruments that will take wind measurements and launch weather balloons.

Check out their truck:

Despite a decrease in wind speed, the National Hurricane Center believes Hurricane Dorian’s combined wind, surge and flood hazards are nothing to ignore.

Dorian may even get worse since the hurricane has grown in size, NHC said in a tweet Tuesday morning.

A Bahamas official said he expects the death toll in the hurricane-stricken nation to go up.

Bahamian MP Iram Lewis, speaking to CNN’s Kate Bolduan in a live phone conversation, said that the Bahamas death toll is most likely to rise in Abaco and on Grand Bahama, both heavy-hit by devastating Dorian.

?Lewis went on to appeal to survivors to not give up hope.

“But we want all who can hear us to rest assured that we are doing our best to rescue them and we appreciate the efforts of the United States and the rest of the world who are partnering with us to help us get through trying times.?We need more help than ever,” he added.

Earlier today, Florida State Rep. Kionne McGhee shared video that Lewis sent him from Freeport:

Dorian isn’t the only disturbance forecasters are watching.

As the Category 2 hurricane inches toward the US, there are three other disturbances — one tropical depression and two possible, yet-to-form cyclones — brewing in the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean.

Hurricane Dorian is now a Category 2 storm with 110 mph maximum sustained winds, according to the 11 a.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

Hurricane Dorian, despite decreasing in maximum intensity, is growing in size.?Hurricane-force winds extend out 60 miles from the center of the storm, while tropical-storm-force winds extend out 175 miles.

Hurricane Dorian is beginning to move — though slowly — to the northwest at 2 mph.

Here’s a look at the latest forecast:

Michael Hynes, 33, has spent the last two nights sheltering from Hurricane Dorian inside his office at the Bahamas Industrial Technologies’ building in Freeport, along with his brothers Matthew and Jeremy, their friend Linda Rose, and 5 dogs.?

He said there’s no running water — it was cut off on the first night of the storm.

“We are OK but a lot of people aren’t. I don’t have any flooding in my business property but look at my east side update to view the latest on that side,” he said.

He described the wind from Hurricane Dorian as?“the worst thing on earth.”

?Hynes shared a video which shows a road surrounded by water. “All you can see is water, all the white you see is water. That building is also under water,” he said in the video.

Brevard County schools in Florida will be closed through Thursday because of Hurricane Dorian, the school district said in a Facebook statement.

Brevard County includes much of Florida’s Space Coast.

Beginning Tuesday, the city of Savannah, Georgia, will institute a curfew at 9 p.m. ET, Savannah Police announced in a tweet.

The curfew will stay in effect until further notice.

Residents of the Bahamas have been dialing?into ZNS’?live television program to report on loved ones missing due to Hurricane Dorian.

Bahama’s Environment and Housing Minister Romauld Ferreira told ZNS that efforts to save vulnerable populations were ongoing.

Dorian has been slowly inching its way northwest towards Florida and has traveled the?second-shortest distance in 24 hours?by a major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger) since modern records began in 1850.

Grand Bahama is facing “extreme flooding” after receiving 30 inches of rain from Dorian, the National Hurricane Center said in its 10 a.m. ET update Tuesday.

The island faces yet another day of dangerous winds and life-threatening storm surge as Dorian continues to inch its way over the Bahamas.

Along with the tremendous amounts of rainfall, the NHC said, Grand Bahama is seeing wind gusts measured at 140 mph and storm surge of 10 to 15 feet above normal tide levels, causing destructive waves.

These hazards from Dorian are forecast to continue on Grand Bahama through most of the day.

During big storms like Dorian, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association — NOAA for short — regularly puts out images that show the location, size and strength of the storm.

These images come equipped with a colorful scale that shows where the storm’s strongest and weakest points are located.

What do the colors represent? In response that question on Twitter, NOAA said, “The colors in this infrared imagery indicate the temperature of the cloud tops. Orange, red and black signify colder, taller clouds, which correlate with more intense areas of the storm.”

Here’s the most recent NOAA satellite image of Hurricane Dorian:

Hurricane Dorian has traveled the?second-shortest distance in 24 hours?by a major hurricane (Category 3 or stronger) since modern records began in 1850, according to Colorado State hurricane researcher Philip Klotzbach.

The shortest on record is Hurricane Betsy in 1965, which traveled only 12 miles over the Atlantic.

Dorian spent most of the last couple days pounding the Bahamas as it moved at a speed of 1 mph or slower across the Atlantic. The stats show that from midnight Monday through Tuesday morning, the storm crawled just 30 miles in 30 hours.

The 185 mph maximum sustained winds from Dorian makes it the second-strongest storm, by wind speed, since 1950 in the Atlantic basin.

It is the strongest hurricane ever to make landfall in the Bahamas.

Miami-Dade Mayor Carlos Gimenez said the county will be collecting items to send to the Bahamas to aid with storm relief efforts.

Gimenez also said they may also be able to send over money from the city’s relief fund to assist the island who was left battered from Hurricane Dorian.

He tweeted this moments ago:

Hurricane Dorian is crawling toward Florida’s coast this morning. The Category 3 hurricane is expected to get “dangerously” close to Florida’s east coast late Tuesday and into Wednesday before inching up the US East Coast.

Officials in southern states are holding briefings today to outline their preparations. Here’s a look at some of the events we’re watching today:

A striking satellite image of Grand Bahama Island shows vast areas of the island under water after Hurricane Dorian passed through the region on Monday.

Grand Bahama Island was still in the path of Hurricane Dorian this morning and the area continues to endure devastating weather conditions produced by the hurricane’s eyewall, according to the National Hurricane Center.

For comparison, this image from Google Maps shows the same regions of Grand Bahama Island prior to Hurricane Dorian:

At least 1,561 flights into, out of or within the US have been canceled today, according to data from FlightAware.

About 91% of flights out of and into Orlando International Airport?have been canceled: That’s 356 flights out of and 348 flights into the airport.

Another 166 flights out of and 119 flights into Fort Lauderdale International Airport have been canceled.

Here’s a look at cancelations across the US:

Walt?Disney?World is adjusting its hours today ahead of Hurricane Dorian.?

Disney?resort hotels remain open, but?Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground will be closed beginning at 3 p.m. ET. It will reopen following the storm when it is safe to do so.

Here’s a look at park hours today:?

Hurricane Dorian is about 110 miles east northeast of West Palm Beach, Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. ET advisory.

The storm is still a Category 3 storm with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph.

Here’s a look at Dorian’s latest forecast path:

CNN’s John Berman is in Port St. Lucie on Florida’s Atlantic Coast this morning.

Hurricane Dorian is more than 100 miles away from Florida, according to the National Hurricane Center, but the state’s coast is already starting to feel some effects.

The Intercostal Waterway is kicking up, drenching picnic benches along the water.

Watch more in the clip below:

Eastbound lanes of Interstate 16 are closed for Hurricane Dorian evacuations, Georgia’s Department of Transportation tweeted Tuesday.?

“No go eastbound on I-16 past Exit 39,” the tweet read. “You must get off and find another route. #HurricaneDorian #evacuation #TrafficUpdate”

The westbound lanes are open ahead of Hurricane Dorian.?

Hurricane Dorian, which made landfall in the Bahamas as a Category 5 storm on Sunday, is still stalling over the islands.

Here’s a day-by-day look at the storm’s path:

Florida State Rep. Kionne McGhee shared a videos from Bahamas Member of Parliament Iram Lewis in Freeport.?

It shows Freeport International Airport completely submerged:

Kate Racer-Russell says her sister Gina Albury filmed this video of her home in Man-O-War Cay, off Abaco in the Bahamas before the passage of Hurricane Dorian on Sept 1.

The home is now destroyed.?

“It was my sister’s home in Man-O-War. She and her husband and her four children was in that house as well as 6 other people who became stranded in Man-O-War when their boat engine failed,” Racer-Russell told CNN.?

“Everyone is OK and sheltered in the basement of a church nearby. The top story of the church is gone,” she added.

Racer-Russell, who is in Florida, said she hasn’t heard directly from her sister since that video was taken. She said the brothers of her husband, Jake Russell, also live in the Bahamas, in Marsh Harbour.

“Out of the six of my husband’s brothers’ homes in Marsh Harbour, only one home is OK,” she said.

She shared with CNN a picture sent to her by her husband’s brother, Bryce Russell. It shows his truck under water:

Power has been restored to 80% of customers on New Providence, the most populous island of the Bahamas, as of Monday night, according to a statement from the Bahamas Power and Light Company (BPL).

“We continue to address the dozens of emergency calls we have received, responding to incidents including down or sparking power lines, blown transformers and other potentially dangerous situations,” the company said in an update posted late Monday.

They had previously reported that power was lost to the entire island of New Providence, which includes the country’s capital Nassau, as Hurricane Dorian hit.

Here’s the latest look at Dorian from above – with the storm still sitting about 35 miles north-east of Grand Bahama, and around 105 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida.

The National Hurricane Center’s 5 a.m. ET update on Dorian had four key messages:

Winds in Florida on Monday.

The National Hurricane Center has issued its latest hourly update on Hurricane Dorian. It advises that the storm is Dorian is still stationary just north of Grand Bahama Island.

“On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will continue to pound Grand Bahama Island today,” the update says.

“The hurricane will then move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late today through Wednesday evening, very near the Georgia and South Carolina coasts Wednesday night and Thursday, and near or over the North Carolina coast late Thursday.”

The update also says a wind gust of 61 mph (98 km/h) was recently reported in Juno Beach Pier, Florida.

It added a new tropical storm warning for the region of the east coast north of Ponte Vedra Beach Florida, running up to Altamaha Sound Georgia. That comes in addition to the six warnings and watches already in effect for various parts of the region.

You can read the full update here.

The coastal city of Stuart, Florida, is starting to feel the effects of Hurricane Dorian, which has stalled 100 miles away above Grand Bahama.

“We are getting the?periodic outer rain bands that?come in and literally smack us with?strong, gusty, tropical storm?force winds.?Brief, heavy rainfall.?And a few flashes of lightning,?as well, in the distance, from?time to time,” said CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam in Stuart.

“There’s also been transformers that?have blown behind us, as well.?We’re fortunate to have?electricity still at this hotel?where we’re at.”

Weaker also means larger: Stuart is facing the threat of storm surges, flooding, and coastal erosion. Van Dam also warned that though the storm has gotten slightly weaker, going down to a Category 3, it will also get larger as tropical force winds expand from the center.

“As it gets closer and?closer to the Florida coastline,?it means we’ll feel more and?more of the winds.?The threats there, obviously,?gusts that could take down some tree?limbs and electrical poles as?well,” Van Dam said.

Watch more here:

Hurricane?Dorian?causes heavy damage to a resort in Hope Town, Abaco, close to Marsh Harbour.

There have been several injuries reported in the Marsh Harbour area in Abaco Islands, Bahamas, according to Hope Town Volunteer Fire & Rescue, a volunteer fire brigade.

According to the brigade, some people are taking shelter in the Government Medical Center in Marsh Harbour while others are doing welfare checks in the area. A command center has also been established at Parliament Harbour House.

“Relief flights, boats and supplies are posed and ready to go the instant the weather permits. We hope to have a flyover in the next couple of days to report on the damages,” said the brigade in a Facebook post.

Some hurricane shelters in Stuart, Florida have stopped accepting evacuees. “If they haven’t evacuated yet, it’s too late,” said CNN meteorologist Derek Van Dam in Stuart.

Stuart residents?are particularly vulnerable to?storm surge and flooding. Many live in low-lying?neighborhoods, near two rivers?and a canal?that could see rapidly rising water levels.

Watch our report on the ground:

Businesses are seen shuttered near Fort Pierce Jetty Park, in Florida on September 2.

Hurricane Dorian has weakened from a Category 4 storm down to Category 3, now with winds of 120 miles per hour – but experts and officials say it’s too soon for Floridians to relax. Category 3 is still a powerful storm that could destroy homes and coastlines.

CNN correspondent Nick Valencia in Melbourne, Florida said, “Yesterday when we were going?around this community, we talked?to a lot of residents who were?under a mandatory evacuation?warning but were planning on not?evacuating at all.”

Millions have been ordered to evacuate across Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas. In Florida, many people have been preparing for the hurricane since last week, stockpiling homes with food and emergency supplies.

Floridians are boarding up their homes and businesses and leaving behind messages for Hurricane Dorian.

“Dorian?Olive U 2 go back 2 sea,” reads the board on Olive U Mediterranean Grill in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida.

The owner, Abdul, told CNN that staff were with their families, and that the restaurant would open on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, boards at a snack bar in Boca Raton, Florida, read “Hieeeee k byeeee.”

The inspiration was “nothing really other then trying to have a sense of humor in a time of panic and preparation,” Matthew Williams told CNN.

“Thoughts and prayers with the people who are getting directly hit,” he said.

In its latest updated advisory, the National Hurricane Center said “Dorian won’t budge,” as the hurricane continues to stay put at Grand Bahama.

Wind gusts and storm surges are expected to continue on Grand Bahama through today.

The hurricane has now been hovering over the island for more than a day, with destructive winds and floods destroying homes. Five people have died in the Abaco Islands.

The US Coast Guard deployed Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews to medically evacuate 19 people from the Marsh Harbour Clinic to Nassau International Airport in the Bahamas on Monday.

In a statement, the Coast Guard said the 19 people ranged in ages from children to the elderly, and were in varying medical conditions.

Hurricane?Dorian has been reclassified as a Category 3 storm, down from Category 4.

It now has winds of 125 miles per hour. At its peak over the weekend, Dorian was a Category 5 storm with winds of 185 mph.

The storm is now stationary, and has been hovering at Grand Bahama for the past day. It’s about 105 miles from West Palm Beach, on the Florida coast.

North Carolina has started issuing mandatory evacuations.

On Ocracoke Island, the evacuation will go into effect for visitors on Tuesday at 5 am local time, and for residents on Wednesday at 5 am.

In Dare County, the evacuation will go into effect for visitors on Tuesday at 12 pm local time, and for residents on Wednesday at 6 am.

Shani Bowd, a resident in the Bahamas, was up to her shoulders in water when a storm surge flooded her home earlier today.

The storm surge may have subsided for now, but Bowd fears another surge could come. She’s still at home with seven other people, including four children, and she has no idea when she can escape, with the wind still howling outside.

She had never experienced anything like this, she told CNN.

“Hurricane Matthew was bad.?I thought Hurricane Matthew was the worst.?But this is ten times worse,” she said.

Hear Shani’s story here:

Hurricane Dorian, photographed from space on September 2.

NASA astronaut Christian Koch took photos of Hurricane?Dorian?on Monday from the International Space Station Monday.

The images show a giant white vortex over the ocean. Dorian has ground to a halt over Grand Bahama, battering the island for the past 24 hours.

Photos of Hurricane Dorian from the International Space Station.

Hundreds of cats and dogs have been welcomed by temporary foster homes in Jacksonville, Florida, as Hurricane?Dorian approaches.

Jacksonville Humane Society put out a call on Saturday for “storm troopers” to step in and help evacuate its animals. In total, 140 cats and 70 dogs have been taken in.

The “Storm Troopers” program allows animals to ride out severe weather inside a warm home instead of a shelter kennel,?according to their website. By Monday, the call had been answered and nearly all the animals had been placed in foster homes. A few animals that require special attention are staying at the shelter with trained staff.

Staff at the Jacksonville Humane Society, where hundreds of shelter dogs and cats found temporary foster homes ahead of Dorian.

After traveling 1,700 miles, Hurricane Dorian is now sticking around Grand Bahama.

“Now, in the last 24?hours, it’s only moved halfway?across Grand Bahama island,” said CNN meteorologist Tom Sater.

The stalled Category 4 storm means prolonged devastation in its immediate area. Five people have died in the Abaco Islands.

Dorian is now about 105 miles from the coast of Florida, and could get even closer as it starts moving again later Monday night, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Even if it doesn’t make landfall, hurricane force winds can extend outward 45 miles, and tropical storm force winds can extend out 140 miles, which could devastate the coastline and cut power in the Florida peninsula.

Watch CNN’s forecast here:

The US Marine Corp is evacuating their training depot on Parris Island, South Carolina ahead of Hurricane?Dorian.

The mandatory evacuation order went into effect Monday at 5 pm local time.?Recruits at the training depot are planned to move to Marine Corps Logistics Base in Albany, Georgia.

The hurricane, still battering the island of Grand Bahama, has slowed slightly to winds of 130 miles per hour, down from 140 earlier this evening.

It had reached a peak of 185 over the weekend, but was reclassified from Category 5 to Category 4 as it slowed over Grand Bahama. Dorian is expected to start moving again early on Tuesday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

Grand Bahama is still being pummeled by “devastating hurricane conditions,” and residents should stay in shelter, warned NHC in its latest public advisory. A storm surge could be “life threatening,” and water levels could rise along the Florida and South Carolina coasts.

Read the full advisory here.

Residents in Grand Bahama are taking cover for the night as the hurricane rages on. Power has been cut across the island, and many who don’t have generators are left huddling in the dark as water rises.

Sarah Kirby, a resident at a shelter in Freeport on Grand Bahama, said she had escaped her home with her 80-year-old mother, her mother’s 75-year-old friend, and several others. When the water first started rising in their home, up to their hips, they had to make a split-second decision – leave, or get on the roof.

Eventually they got their car moving and got to a road. They went back and rescued several of their dogs, but had to leave their cats behind.

“We’re all struggling a little?bit with that.?We’re hoping that the cats are pretty good?about staying up, so they’ll have climbed into?the attic space, that’s what we’re hoping for,” Kirby told CNN at a shelter on Monday night.

Hear her full story here:

David Allen Bradley, a 68-year-old resident in Indialantic, Florida, was preparing for Hurricane Dorian when he fell three stories to his death, according to Chief Mike Connor of the Indialantic Police Department.

According to Connor, Bradley was on a small ladder trying to cover up his home’s windows with plywood on Sunday afternoon. His wife, whose name was not released, ran outside when she heard the crash but by the time the police got there, it was too late.

The number of alleged price gouging cases is growing in Florida as people prepare for Dorian, said the state’s attorney general Ashley Moody.

In one case, a Shell gas station was selling a 24-count case of water for $9. It usually sells for $3.98, according to a copy of the complaint.

In West Palm Beach, gas was being sold for $4.09 per gallon, while just a week earlier, it cost $2.79.

The Florida attorney general’s office said it was currently looking at 2,100 price gouging allegations. The office field team says it has visited about 145 businesses, with prices subsequently reduced and refunds issued.

More than 2,700 flights in or out of the US have been cancelled on Monday and Tuesday ahead of Hurricane?Dorian, according to Flightaware.com.

It is unclear how many of these delays and cancellations were directly related to Dorian, but many of the affected airports with cancellations are in Florida.

Some airlines like Delta Airlines have canceled all flights to and from the Bahamas because planes have been unable to land under the hurricane’s crosswinds.

Residents in Stuart, Florida on September 2 as Hurricane Dorian makes its way toward the Florida coast.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper urged residents to follow the Dorian forecast and heed warnings from local officials as the state prepared for the hurricane.

Here’s what North Carolina is doing:

Hurricane Dorian is still hovering over Grand Bahama, battering the island with maximum sustained winds of 140 miles per hour.

A few hours ago, the Category 4 hurricane was still slowly inching its way westward at 1 mile per hour – now, it’s stopped in place and is “stationary,” according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The NHC warned residents in Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands that they should stay in shelter, as they are currently experiencing the eyewall – it surrounds the eye of the storm, and carries the strongest and most destructive winds.

Where is it going? The hurricane is forecasted to start moving again toward Florida’s east coast overnight and into Tuesday morning. It will move “dangerously close” to Florida late Tuesday and into Wednesday evening, then move toward the Georgia and South Carolina coasts on Wednesday night and into Thursday.

Gatorland in Orlando posted a video on Facebook telling the public how they’re preparing for Hurricane Dorian.

“All of our animals are gonna be safe here at Gatorland,” said Mark McHugh, Gatorland’s CEO.

“Rest assured, if you see an alligator swimming down your street or sitting in your pool, it ain’t one of ours,” McHugh said.

Four US Coast Guard helicopters have been working rescues for “most of the day” in or near Marsh Harbor in the Bahamas, according to USCG District 7 Petty Officer 3rd?Class Brandon Murray.?

Murray could not provide details on the type of incidents rescuers were responding to in the wake of Hurricane Dorian.

“It’s absolutely catastrophic conditions,” US Coast Guard Commander Eric Jones told CNN Monday.

“We are in the midst of a historic tragedy in parts of our northern Bahamas,” said Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis.

“Bahamians across our country and throughout the world are praying for you,” he said.

Coastal Carolina University began closing all residents halls and campus housing Monday morning, according to CNN affiliate WMBF-TV.

“In an abundance of safety and caution we will be closing our residence halls,” said Steve Harrison, Coastal Carolina’s Vice President for Auxiliary Enterprises.

Harrison asked students to create their own personal evacuation plans, but the university was offering shuttles and student housing elsewhere in the state, WMBF reported.

Legoland Florida will be closed on Tuesday in anticipation of Dorian, the company said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by Hurricane Dorian. The safety of our employees and guests is our number one priority,” the company said.

The Lego-themed outdoor park?in central Florida, which was operating as usual on Monday, is expected to reopen on Wednesday “pending the track” of Dorian.

About 60,000 people in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina are expected to need some assistance as Dorian approaches the US, an American Red Cross spokeswoman said.

Some 2,600 people were already staying at dozens of evacuation shelters in Florida on Sunday, said Jenelle Eli, director of communications for the American Red Cross.

The Red Cross is mobilizing 1,600 trained volunteers, 110 emergency response vehicles and 99 tractor trailers full of relief supplies. Those relief supplies include cots, blankets & 64,000 ready-to-eat meals.

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said initial reports indicate that the devastation in the Abaco Islands is “unprecedented” and many buildings have been “completely or partially destroyed.”

“We are in the midst of a historic tragedy in parts of our northern Bahamas,” Minnis told reporters at the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) headquarters on Monday.

He said a number of injured people have been rescued by first responders and taken to a hospital on New Providence island.

“Our mission and focus now is search, rescue and recovery. I ask for your prayers for those in affected areas and for our first responders.”

The Prime Minister urged residents to remain indoors as Dorian is expected to continue battering Grand Bahama island for “many hours.”

Bristol Motor Speedway will open its Medallion Campground tomorrow at noon to Hurricane Dorian evacuees.?

The speedway has opened its campgrounds for evacuees from past storms, such as Hurricane Irma and Florence.?

The decision by Bristol follows similar ones made by Atlanta Motor Speedway Friday and Charlotte Motor Speedway in North Carolina today. Both speedways have opened their facilities for evacuees free of charge.

Hurricane Dorian has killed five people on the Abaco Islands of the Bahamas, the Prime Minister told reporters Monday afternoon.

Gov. Ralph Northam has declared a state of emergency in advance of Hurricane Dorian, which is expected to impact southeastern Virginia Thursday.

The impact from Dorian could include coastal and inland flooding, storm surge, damaging winds and prolonged power outages, the governor’s office said in a news release Monday afternoon.

A state of emergency allows the Commonwealth to mobilize resources and to deploy people and equipment to assist in response and recovery efforts, the governor’s office added. The declaration also allows officials from Virginia to coordinate planning and evacuation resources with the state of North Carolina.?

?This action does not apply to individuals or private businesses.?

Walt Disney World is adjusting its hours Tuesday ahead of Hurricane Dorian, which is expected to get close to Florida this evening.

Disney resort hotels will remain open, but Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort and Campground will be closed beginning Tuesday at 3 p.m. ET and will reopen following the storm when it is safe to do so.

Here are the other adjustments being made around Disney on Tuesday:

Pilots with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration flew through the eye of Dorian.

A team of hurricane hunters aboard the Lockheed WP-3D Orion N42RF, also known as “Kermit,” recorded a video of the powerful storm.

Here’s the video:

Dorian is moving very little as it continues to pound Grand Bahama island, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 p.m. ET update.

The storm is slowly moving westward at a rate of less than 1 mph.

A turn to the northwest is forecast by late Tuesday, with a northeast movement forecast to begin by Wednesday night.

The hurricane warning has been extended north to Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. The storm surge watch and hurricane watch has been extended north to South Santee River, South Carolina.

With Hurricane Dorian expected to get close to Florida this evening, it’s probably worth brushing up on the differences between a hurricane watch and warning.

The National Weather Service has provided some clear definitions for each; check them out below:

Orlando International will “cease commercial operations” at 2 a.m. ET on Tuesday, the airport announced on Twitter.

The airport’s region is currently under a Tropical Storm watch, the statement said, and is expecting winds between 40 and 45 mph.

The airport encouraged passengers to contact their individual airlines about changes to their flight schedule.

Read the statement:

Flagler County, Florida, has issued a curfew for evacuation zones A, B and F – starting at 7 p.m. Tuesday until further notice, according to a release from Flagler County Emergency Services.

Florida’s Attorney General has released new photos that allegedly show price gouging occurring while the state braces for Hurricane Dorian.

A Shell gas station was allegedly selling a 24-count case of water for $9 while the original price was $3.98, according to a copy of the complaint provided to CNN by the attorney general’s office.

In West Palm Beach, gas was allegedly sold for $4.09, while it was just $2.79 a week ago.

According to the attorney general’s office, of the 2,100 alleged price gouging allegations, roughly 600 were submitted via a new app called “No Scam.” The attorney general’s field team has visited about 145 businesses to investigate price gouging allegations.

The list of counties under mandatory evacuation orders continues to grow as Hurricane Dorian approaches the US. The Category 4 storm is expected to get very close to Florida this evening.

Here’s a breakdown of all the counties in the Southeast US under evacuation orders:

Georgia

South Carolina

Florida

?North Carolina

The changing track of Hurricane Dorian has caused federal officials to continually reassess where to stage supplies and personnel, according to David Bibo,?FEMA’s deputy associate administrator for Response and Recovery.??

Bibo told reporters on a conference call Monday that?FEMA?has “been making sure that as the forecast track adapts, as the cone shifts, that we have our resources positioned such that they’re not in harm’s way of the storm but that they can quickly get to where they may be needed.”???

That means the agency is now staging “a significant amount of resources” from Florida up to North Carolina, and is “continuously evaluating our posture.”?

A?FEMA?briefing map from this morning showed incident support bases, staging locations, and other centers located along the coast from Miami northwards.??

Last week the agency said it had recalled personnel sent to Puerto Rico for an expected Dorian landfall there.?Some of those personnel were sent directly to Florida, and personnel and supplies were staged on both the southern and northern ends of the state.?

As Hurricane Dorian continues its slow trek toward the US, an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter is currently flying through the the storm, which is battering the Bahamas right now.

The mission is intended to provide new information on Dorian for the 5 p.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

A total of 19 City of New Orleans public safety personnel deployed to Florida to help with response efforts for Dorian, a spokesperson for Mayor LaToya Cantrell said today.

The deployment includes 14 members from the New Orleans Fire Department and five members from New Orleans Emergency Medical Services. The team is also joined by 10 members of the St. Tammany Parish Fire Department.

Once in Florida, the New Orleans team will likely assist with swift-water rescue operations, Cantrell’s spokesperson said. The team is also ready to assist other states if necessary.

The New Orleans group is part of more than 100 Louisiana public safety personnel on their way to Florida to provide help.

At least seven Florida hospitals are under full evacuation orders, and at least one other hospital is partially evacuating ahead of Hurricane Dorian, the Florida governor’s office said.

One of those hospitals under order to evacuate, Baptist Medical Center Beaches in Jacksonville Beach, said all patient transfers to sister hospitals were completed by 3:20 p.m. ET.

Here’s the list of current hospital evacuations in Florida:

Full Evacuation (7):

Partial Evacuation (1):

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis

Gov. Ron DeSantis spoke with President Trump this morning about the state’s preparedness for Hurricane Dorian. In a 3 p.m. ET update, his office said the governor also participated in a conference call with FEMA.?

Here’s the latest update on Dorian preparation from the governor’s office:

Residents in the city of West Palm Beach, Florida, are being asked to shelter in place, stay off the roads and avoid sightseeing, according to a news release put out by city officials this afternoon.

Officials said there is no curfew for the city at this time.

Dalton Waldroup, a lineman with U-TEC Construction, shared a video of power trucks staging for Hurricane Dorian. The clip was taken at 2 p.m. ET today in Wildwood, Florida.

Waldroup, who is based out of Tucker, Georgia, has been taking videos of the staging area since he arrived in Florida on Friday.

The Atlanta Braves are giving away tickets to anyone who has evacuated to Atlanta due to Hurricane Dorian.

Complimentary tickets are being offered for the following home games at SunTrust Park:

All the proceeds from?these games’?50/50 raffle will benefit relief efforts for Hurricane Dorian.

These free tickets are available to residents of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina who have been displaced due to mandatory evacuations in anticipation of Hurricane Dorian, the Braves said in a news release.

The NFL’s Jacksonville Jaguars have altered their practice schedule this week ahead of Sunday’s season opener due to Hurricane Dorian.

The Jaguars practiced today and will not practice Tuesday or Wednesday. They are scheduled to return to practice Thursday – weather permitting.

Players are typically off on Tuesday?but would have practiced on Wednesday.

The Jaguars are scheduled to host the Kansas City Chiefs at 1 p.m. ET Sunday.

The sustained wind speed from Dorian has decreased to 150 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm remains a Category 4 hurricane.

Dorian is still moving very slowly and expected to continue to pound the Bahamas throughout the rest of the day.

Then it is expected to turn and come dangerously close to the Florida coast.

Carnival Cruise Line has adjusted the itineraries for numerous ships leaving out of Jacksonville, Charleston and Port Canaveral in preparation for Hurricane Dorian.

Check out the full list of trips impacted by the storm, according to a news release from Carnival:

CHARLESTON??

Carnival Sunshine, Sept. 2, 2019:?The boat will depart today at 6 p.m. to accommodate arriving guests impacted by traffic diversions and closures.?The call to Half Moon Cay has been canceled. ?

Given the circumstances, guests can disregard arrival appointments.?Everyone must be on board by 5 p.m.

JACKSONVILLE

Carnival Ecstasy, Sept. 5, 2019:?Still evaluating.?Sign up for text alerts by texting CCL12 to CRUISE (278473).?There is a possibility Carnival Ecstasy will not be able to return to Jacksonville on Thursday.?If the port is closed, the ship will be in position to dock as soon as the authorities have reopened the port.

PORT CANAVERAL

Port Canaveral is closed to inbound traffic. Carnival is optimistic the port will reopen by Thursday.?

Carnival Liberty, Sept. 2, 2019:?This cruise is canceled.?Guests will receive a full refund of their cruise fare and any pre-purchased items.?

Carnival Elation, Sept. 2, 2019:?Will now operate as a two day sailing departing Thursday and returning Saturday. Port of call: To be determined.?Guests who sail will receive a pro-rated refund of their cruise fare and any pre-purchased beverage and Wi-Fi packages. Guests who wish to cancel will receive a 100% future cruise credit.

PORTMIAMI

Carnival Horizon, Sept. 1, 2019: Port Miami is closed and expected to reopen no earlier than Wednesday.???

The company plans to operate a three-day cruise, departing on Wednesday and returning Saturday.?The cruise will visit Nassau on Thursday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Guests who sail will receive a 50% prorated refund of their cruise fare and any pre-purchased beverage and Wi-Fi packages, and a full refund of any pre-purchased shore excursions.?Additionally, guests will receive a 50% future cruise credit.

Carnival Victory, Sept. 2, 2019: Will now operate as a two-day sailing departing Wednesday and returning Friday. Port of call: Key West, Sept. 5.?Guests who sail will receive a pro-rated refund of their cruise fare and any pre-purchased beverage and Wi-Fi packages. Guests who wish to cancel will receive a 100% future cruise credit.??

US Coast Guard crews are heading to the Bahamas in preparation for a rapid Dorian response, the USCG said in a press release.

The USCG members are traveling from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater in Florida by MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and staging on Andros Island.

Here’s photos of the deployment happening today:

Delta Airlines is canceling all flights to and from the Bahamas today due to increased crosswind speeds, according to Delta spokeswoman Lisa Hellerstedt.?

The airline canceled flights after one of their planes was unable to land in Nassau on Monday, Hellerstedt said.?

Here’s the airline statement:

President Trump spent today visiting his Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, and tweeting political grievances as a massive hurricane prepares to barrel up the East Coast.

Trump’s visit to Trump National marks the 289th day he has spent at a Trump property and the 227th day he has spent at one of his golf clubs as President.?

He spoke to Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis today. DeSantis, a Republican, said in a news conference that the President is “fully engaged” with federal, state and local officials.?

The number of alleged price gouging “contacts” due to Hurricane Dorian has grown to 2,100 in Florida and Georgia, according to Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody.

Moody provided this information in a video. She calls these people and businesses “bad actors.”

Price gouging “contacts” include phone calls or tips made to the agency’s app or online systems. The illegal practice of price gouging involves increasing the prices of necessary items like food, water and hotel rooms during any natural disaster.?

Michael Pintard, minister for agriculture in the Bahamas, shared a video showing the rising waters outside his home and damage done inside during Hurricane Dorian.

In the video, Pintard estimates that sea levels have risen at least 15 feet to reach a level above the windows of his home.

“This is what I’m facing at the moment, and I have neighbors that are in a far worse position than me and my family,” he said.

Watch the video:

While Hurricane Dorian has yet to make landfall in the US, that hasn’t stopped the Category 4 storm from forcing major airlines to cancel or delay hundreds of flights today.

So far, 744 flights within, into or out of the US have been delayed while 1,138 flights have been canceled, according to data from the aviation tracking website FlightAware. It is unclear how many of these delays and cancellations were directly related to Dorian.

Here’s a breakdown of the delays and cancellations by some of the largest US airlines:

How Dorian is affecting other airlines:

Read more about how Hurricane Dorian is impacting travel around the US here. ?

While Hurricane Dorian creeps along at 1 mph, the storm is expected to get “dangerously” close to the US tonight, according to the National Hurricane Center.

The Category 4 storm is moving in a westward to west-northwestward motion, which should be followed by a gradual turn toward the northwest and north, the center said in its 11 a.m. ET advisory.

The US Air Force Hurricane Hunters have captured footage from inside the eye of the storm using a reconnaissance plane.

The plane flew through Dorian to gather data to determine the storm’s intensity and path.

Watch the video:

Patients at Baptist Medical Center Beaches in Jacksonville Beach, Florida, are being transferred to Baptist Medical Center South, the hospital says on its Facebook page.

Here’s what else we know:

The US Geological Survey forecasts that 80% of the sandy beaches from Florida to North Carolina will likely to undergo beach and dune erosion from Hurricane Dorian.

Georgia and South Carolina beaches are projected to face the highest rates of dune erosion, with 100% of their beaches likely to suffer some amount, the survey said in a news release. About 85% of Florida’s beaches and 60% of North Carolina’s dunes will also experience erosion from the strong waves and surge.

Kara Doran, leader of the USGS Coastal Change Hazards Storm Team, provided some more insight into the expected beach and dune erosion:

Some other facts and figures from the news release:

The Bahamas minister for agriculture shared a video showing flood waters creeping into his home in Grand Bahama.

You can hear Michael Pintard explaining the situation in the video:

Dorian is a Category 4 storm that is still moving at 1 mph towards the west. It is currently located 30 miles northeast of Freeport in The Bahamas and 110 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida.

Grand Bahama Island continues to experience catastrophic winds and storm surge, according to the National Hurricane Center.

We’ve summarized all the watches and warnings in place for Hurricane Dorian from the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. ET advisory:

A storm surge warning is in effect for…

A storm surge watch is in effect for…

A hurricane warning is in effect for…

A hurricane watch is in effect for…

A tropical storm warning is in effect for…

A tropical storm watch is in effect for…

The following is a breakdown of what each of these watches and warnings mean, according to the National Weather Service:

Ingermar Nixon tells CNN he is staying in his house on the beach in Freeport, Bahamas, because he says he has “nowhere to go now.”

“The situation is devastating. Lots of wind and rain,” he told CNN. “Last night it was a huge amount of wind with a lot of gust. It started raining heavy following the wind.”

He said his house has suffered several damages. “The window is leaking water and there were flooding on the ground floor,” he added.

See video from his home:

Hurricane Dorian has sustained winds of 155 mph, making it a high-end Category 4 hurricane, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 11 a.m. ET advisory.?

Dorian is still moving at 1 mph towards the west and is currently located 30 miles northeast of Freeport in The Bahamas and 110 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida.

Grand Bahama Island continues to experience catastrophic winds and storm surge, according to the NHC.

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 is a look at some facts and figures around Hurricane Dorian:

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said five ports have been closed due to Hurricane Dorian:

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.”

Florida’s Brevard County will open another shelter to accommodate evacuees in the northern part of the county.

The shelter at Mims Elementary School, 2852 US1 in Mims is the 14th to open in Brevard County for residents preparing for Hurricane Dorian.

High winds and rain are expected to begin impacting the county early Tuesday.

The following shelters are open in Brevard County:?

Pet-friendly:?

General population:?

Although shelters will provide food, residents going to shelters will need to bring their own supplies.

Brevard County Emergency Management?suggested people bring the following items:

For information about this and other Hurricane Dorian questions, call the Community Information Hotline at 2-1-1.??

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis called Dorian’s devastation “unprecedented,” in a tweet to his official Twitter account Monday.

“Winds have decreased to 165MPH but Dorian remains an extremely dangerous storm. Our focus right now is rescue, recovery and prayer.”

More: The eye of Hurricane Dorian, which is currently over Grand Bahama, isn’t moving a lot, according to the 8 a.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center. Dorian is forecast to move slowly westward to northwestward over the next day, followed by a gradual turn to the northwest, the NHC said.

Watch satellite video that captured Dorian lingering over Grand Bahama Sunday night and Monday morning:

The fate of a US landfall is all dependent on if and when this storm turns northward.?

Right now the storm is moving west at 1 mph. The question is when will it turn northwest.?

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) says it expects the storm will turn to the north over the next couple of days.

But the variance in timing of the turn will make all the difference in the world. Just a change of a few hours could be the difference between a landfall in Florida and no landfall at all.?This is why even though the NHC has the forecast track miles offshore, it includes the “cone of uncertainty.” Anyone in the cone is still at risk for a landfall.?

The good news for the US is that most of the forecast models meteorologist use – like the European and the American models – show the storm remaining offshore.?

Only a few of the models bring the storm inland to Florida and a couple more bring the hurricane into North Carolina.?

This turn in direction is what everyone on the East Coast will be watching for.?

No matter if the storm comes ashore or not the effects of this extremely dangerous hurricane will be felt from West Palm Beach to the Outer Banks of North Carolina.?

The US Coast Guard is restricting vessel movement at two Florida ports due to expected gale force winds from Dorian within the next day.

The Coast Guard set the port condition Yankee for the Port of Jacksonville and Fernandina effective at 8 a.m. ET today. This means the USCG is expecting dangerous winds within 24 hours, and all movement must be approved.

Sustained winds between 39 and 54 mph are possible within 24 hours near the ports, the USCG said in a press release Monday.

The Bahamas is experiencing a total island-wide power outage on New Providence, according to the Bahamas Power and Light Company (BPL).

Efforts to restore power continue to be hampered by the flooding on the island, the company said.

Here’s the full BPL statement:

Simone Chandler, who is based in Florida, shared a video her mother Lena Chandler sent from Freeport, Bahamas. It shows Hurricane Dorian pounding trees and buildings with high winds and rain.?

Watch the video:

More than 1,000 flights within, into, or out of the US have been canceled today, according to the aviation tracking website FlightAware.

While flights could be canceled for a variety of reasons, it’s clear that most of the cancellations are due to the storm. The top five airports with the most inbound and outbound cancelations are in Florida: Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando Melbourne, Palm Beach, Miami, Orlando Sanford.

The Ft. Lauderdale, Orlando Melbourne, and Palm Beach International airports are all planning to close at noon on Monday.

Read more here on how Dorian is affecting travel.

Democratic member of the Florida House of Representatives Shevrin Jones posted a video sent to him by his family in the Bahamas. It shows Hurricane Dorian battering the windows and the door of their house.?

He said his family is doing well but suffered a lot of damage. “Praying for my family and others in the Bahamas,” he said in another tweet.

Watch the video:

Dorian has slowed to 1 mph. You can walk faster than it is moving.

The island of Grand Bahama could be in the eye?of Hurricane?Dorian for more than 9 hours because of the slow movement.

This snail’s pace is not unheard of with hurricanes.

Recent hurricanes Harvey and Florence also slowed significantly after making landfall.

But this is not because of a landfall. It all has to do with what is steering the storm.

A high-pressure system over the western Atlantic is blocking it from moving northward.

However, a weakness in the blocking high is slowing the storm. At some point over the next 24 hours, the high will weaken enough that the?Hurricane?will move northwest.

The eye of Hurricane Dorian, which is currently over Grand Bahama, isn’t moving a lot, according to the 8 a.m. ET update from the National Hurricane Center.

Dorian is forecast to move slowly westward to northwestward over the next day, followed by a gradual turn to the northwest, the NHC said.

The core of Dorian will continue to pound Grand Bahama through most of the day and tonight. Then the hurricane will move dangerously close to Florida’s east coast tonight through Wednesday.

Maximum sustained wins are near 165 mph with higher gusts. Hurricane-force winds extend up to 45 miles from the center, with tropical-force winds extending out as far as 140 miles.

Although Dorian is forecast to gradually weaken, it is expected to remain a powerful hurricane over the next couple days.

Miami residents need to continue to monitor local news and weather updates and to “heed the warnings,” Miami Fire Rescue?Chief?Joseph Zahralban told CNN.

Zahralban added that it may be difficult for emergency responders to reach people in need due to high winds, so residents need to do their “absolute best to be self-sufficient for a period of time.”

“The community needs to help us,” he appealed. “You need to fortify your home if you’re sheltering in place, you need to have enough provisions for seven days, you need to have your food, you need to have your water [and] any medications you might need.”

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) has warned residents on Grand Bahama to not leave their shelter when Hurricane Dorian’s eye passes over.

“This is a life-threatening situation,” the NHC said in a 7 a.m. ET update. “Winds will rapidly increase on the other side of the eye.”

It added that residents in the Abaco Islands should remain sheltered until the hurricane subsides.

The NHC said hazards for residents, which will continue during most of the day and will cause “extreme destruction,” include 200 mph wind gusts and storm surges between 18-23 feet above normal tides.

Commonwealth countries “stand ready” to support the Bahamas in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian, Commonwealth Secretary General Patricia Scotland said in a tweet on Monday.

Scenes of devastation in the Marsh Harbour area of the Abaco Islands?has been shared on Twitter by eyewitness Vernal Cooper, who found shelter at a government building when the eye of the storm hit.

“There’s damages everywhere around my area,” Cooper said, who posted the video on Monday night. “Cars and houses destroyed. This is what’s left of Marsh Harbour. This needs to end.”

He says his home was also affected by the category 5 hurricane.

Cooper added that many people in Abaco are struggling to contact their relatives because power outages have cut communication lines. “So many family members are worried.”

The death of an eight-year-old boy, the first reported fatality caused from Hurricane Dorian, has been reported by local news outlets Eyewitness News and Bahamas Press.

The boy’s grandmother, Ingrid McIntosh, told Eyewitness News in the Bahamas that her grandson died on Abaco Island.

McIntosh said her daughter told her that she found the body of her son, who she believed drowned in the rising waters. McIntosh added that her granddaughter is also missing.

“All I can say is that my daughter called from Abaco and said that her son – my grandson – is dead. That’s it. I don’t know what really happened. I think she said he drowned,” McIntosh said.

CNN has contacted Bahamian authorities who have not yet confirmed these reports.

Hurricane Dorian's forecast.

Many people are without adequate shelter as Hurricane Dorian’s category 5 winds and rains caused “extensive damage” to the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahama, according to initial assessments from authorities and Red Cross officials on the ground.

As many as 13,000 homes have been severely damaged or destroyed, according to a statement from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and extensive flooding has created an “urgent need” for clean water as wells become contaminated with saltwater.

The IFRC said it has released 250,000 Swiss francs (US$252,000) “to bolster the first wave” of its response as it provides around 500 families with emergency shelter assistance.

“Hundreds of trained Red Cross volunteers, emergency response vehicles and more than 30 truck loads of relief supplies are being mobilized to help people living in the path of Hurricane Dorian,” the statement added.

Hurricane Dorian will “continue to pound” Grand Bahama Island for the rest of today and tonight and will move “dangerously close” to Florida’s east coast, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned in its latest update.

As of 5 a.m. ET the hurricane’s center was about 40 miles east of Freeport Grand, Bahama Island, with maximum sustained winds of 165mph.

“Although gradual weakening is forecast, Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next couple of days,” the NHC added.

Read the full update here.

The Royal Fleet auxiliary ship RFA Mounts Bay in Gibralter in 2013.

The British Royal Navy auxiliary ship, RFA Mounts Bay, is due to arrive in the Bahamas today, according to the British Ministry of Defence.

The ship was deployed to the region in June in anticipation of hurricane season and was redirected to the Bahamas when news of Hurricane?Dorian?broke, according to a Ministry of Defence spokesperson.

The ship carries aid, building materials, a helicopter, specialist transport equipment, and surveying equipment, said the spokesperson.

The ship will be on standby “ready” to help as soon as an official request is made by authorities.

There’s no sleep for residents in Grand Bahama Island as Hurricane Dorian rages on, at 4 a.m.

“We are being lashed here in Freeport in the island of Grand Bahama?by Dorian’s winds all night long?in the dark because power is out?here.?It sounds like a jet engine,?just screaming winds that pick?up but never really go away,” said CNN correspondent Patrick Oppmann.

He added that Dorian is an unprecedented storm in the Bahamas, with storm surges a major concern. The surge could exceed 20 feet and the highest point on Grand Bahama is 30 feet, Oppmann said.

“Much of this island by the end?of today, by tomorrow will be?underwater,” he said.

Watch the segment here:

Hurricane Dorian came to a virtual halt over Grand Bahama island in the early hours of Monday morning, as the National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of potential “extreme destruction.”

Home to about 50,000 people, Grand Bahama is being “lashed incessantly with destructive hurricane-force winds,” according to the NHC’s latest update at 4 a.m. Monday.

The maximum sustained winds have slowed slightly to 165 miles per hour – dropping 20 mph from its peak of 185 mph earlier Sunday evening. But the force of the hurricane is even more dangerous combined with how slow it is moving – it is only traveling at 1 mph.

Instead of barrelling past, the hurricane and its destructive winds are hovering over the region for hours at a time. The NHC warned that the hurricane would continue to batter Grand Bahama for most of Monday.?

Read the NHC update here.

Chef Jose Andres and his nonprofit?World Central Kitchen team are in the Bahamas to serve food to people in need.

Andrés told CNN his team arrived in the islands before Hurricane Dorian hit, so they could start serving meals as quickly as possible after the storm passes.

World Central Kitchen served meals in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria hit in 2017, and the team went to South Carolina during Hurricane Florence last year. They even fed hungry furloughed workers during the government shutdown.

Hear what Jose Andres said about Dorian:

Climate change is making natural disasters worse around the world, from extreme droughts to flash flooding. Hurricanes are no exception.

Here’s how climate change makes hurricanes worse:

Hurricane Dorian is currently slamming the Bahamas as a powerful Category 5 storm. The hurricane — which packs winds of 175 miles per hour — is slowly crawling northwestward.

Dorian’s projected path may continue to shift, but here’s the current forecast:

You can track Dorian here.

Dorian’s maximum sustained winds have slowed slightly, from 185 miles per hour earlier Sunday evening to 170 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).

The storm is still whipping the northern Bahamas, where residents have endured a night of howling winds and heavy rain. Dorian is moving very slowly west at 5 mph and is expected to move west to northwest on Monday, before gradually turning north.

This means it will likely continue to pound Grand Bahama Island through much of Monday and Monday night, and move closer to Florida’s east coast from Monday night to Wednesday evening.

Storm surges and the rising tide will cause water to move inland and flood normally dry areas of the Abaco Islands, the NHC said. However, water levels should start slowly subsiding on the islands on Tuesday, it added.

Read the full advisory here.

Hurricane Dorian has slowed from 185 miles per hour to 175 mph as it batters the Bahamas — but the storm is far from over.

Dorian is a historic storm — only Hurricane Allen in 1980 had stronger winds in the Atlantic, with maximum sustained winds of 190 mph.

Computer models now forecast several possible paths for the hurricane — some further west and some further east. This path will be key to the extent of any damage inflicted on Florida and other southern US states. The closer Dorian’s winds get to the coast, the stronger the impact for coastal residents.

Watch the segment here:

It’s now 2:30 a.m. in the Bahamas and Hurricane Dorian has slowed to a crawl over the island chain, battering buildings with heavy rain and winds at 180 miles per hour.

Residents are bunkering down at home in the dark and in shelters where they sought refuge as the storm hit. Sunrise isn’t for another four hours, at 6:53 a.m., when local authorities will be able to survey the full extent of the damage.

Kevin Tomlinson, a resident in Freeport, Grand Bahama, told CNN just after midnight that power had been cut to the shelter where he is staying with about 40 other residents who live by the coast. There were even some tourists who got caught in the hurricane – he said one couple was visiting from Chicago.

Tomlinson said he and other locals are preparing for some difficult weeks ahead.

Watch Kevin speak here: