Hurricane Dorian, which continued to lash out on the Bahamas archipelago where he killed at least five people, is expected to approach the coast of several states in the southeastern United States who ordered evacuations on Tuesday. on your mind.
The hurricane, downgraded Monday from category 5 to 4 remains very dangerous. On Tuesday, he was still over the island of Grand Bahama, affected by torrential rains and "catastrophic" winds, said the National Hurricane Center (NHC) in its bulletin, saying it should be move westward at night.
"We are in the water"
In the Bahamas, Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis announced at a press conference that five people had died on the Abaco Islands, calling the hurricane a "historic tragedy" for the Caribbean archipelago of some 700 islands, of which thirty are inhabited.
Flooded streets, rooftops washed, uprooted trees: the first images gave an idea of the violence of the storm. The Ministry of Tourism announced that relief operations had begun "where conditions permit".
For many, the wait was terrifying. "We are under water," Kendra Williams, who lives in Grand Bahama, wrote in an SMS. "We are in the attic, please, can someone help us or send us help, please, my son, my six grandchildren and I are in the attic" .
At least 13,000 damaged houses?
Authorities in the Bahamas also reported receiving numerous calls for help with the desperate tone. "We have a lot of distraught people calling us," said Don Cornish, head of the emergency services.
Hubert Minnis spoke of "unprecedented" damage following torrential rains and strong winds that hit the archipelago. But if the NHC predicts a "gradual weakening," he warns that Dorian should remain "a powerful hurricane in the next two days."
According to early assessments by authorities and Red Cross officials on the ground on Monday, some 13,000 houses may have been damaged or destroyed and the hurricane caused "considerable damage" in the Abacos and Grand Bahama islands.