Miami (AFP)

Hurricane Dorian further strengthened on Sunday to grade 5 according to the US National Hurricane Center (NHC), which warns of a "catastrophic" storm on its way to hit the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas.

Speaking of a hurricane "very powerful, very dangerous", Ken Graham, director of NHC, insisted on the threat it posed to this Caribbean tourist archipelago. This is "an extremely dangerous situation for the Bahamas," he warned on Facebook.

"Devastating winds" at nearly 280 km / h were approaching the island, according to the NHC.

"People have been preparing since Wednesday," Yasmin Rigby, who lives in Freeport, Grand Bahama, told AFP that memories of hurricanes Frances and Jeanne (2004) and Wilma (2005) were still very much alive in the world. minds.

"For now, everything is quiet outside, many people are already in shelters (...) Some make last minute purchases".

"The winds are starting to grow a little," said Lucy Worboys, resident of the capital Nassau, adding that the population was worried about rising water because "everything is so flat in the Bahamas".

- "Very difficult to predict" -

Prime Minister Hubert Minnis has increased the number of calls to the population. "I call on all Bahamian residents in Hurricane Dorian to evacuate and shelter," he tweeted.

The hurricane is expected to move closer to the east coast of Florida Monday night and Tuesday, but it's hard to predict how much it will hit the "Sunshine State".

"A lot of movement, very difficult to predict," Donald Trump summed up in a tweet Saturday, noting that Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina would probably be in the front row mid-week ahead.

The US president, who canceled his trip to Poland this weekend, followed Saturday the evolution of the situation since his golf in Virginia, on the banks of the Potomac, before joining Camp David.

"It's one of the most powerful hurricanes (...) for decades, be careful!" He said.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency in his state. "The strength and unpredictability of the storm compels us to prepare for all scenarios," he said.

The state of emergency had already been declared in Florida and in a dozen counties in the state of Georgia. This measure makes it possible to better mobilize the public services of the State and to resort if necessary to the federal aid.

If a form of relief prevailed in Miami, residents remained cautious and the city's distribution of sandbags to fight the floods continued.

Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis has urged people to "stay alert".

"I'm on my guard because it can still evolve, in the 12 or 24 hours before the hurricane reaches the coast, everything can change," said David Duque, 30. "I live in Florida for 15 years, better to prepare than to wait without doing anything".

Florida, consisting mainly of a peninsula in the southeastern United States, is on the front line of the hurricane season every year.

With a very flat relief, the coastline is particularly threatened by rising water. The center of the land is also characterized by low altitudes. For the inhabitants, the main threat is therefore floods.

The latest projections remove the prospect of major damage at the resort of West Palm Beach where Mr. Trump has his famous golf club Mar-a-Lago, which he calls his "Winter White House".

According to a relief coordinator, 12,000 soldiers are currently in Florida pending the arrival of Dorian.

Orlando Airport, where tourists want to visit Disney World, is scheduled to close at 0600 GMT Monday morning.

© 2019 AFP