This archive report was first published on 2 September 2019.
Published on September 2, 2019, Hurricane Dorian, a powerful Atlantic storm, stalled over the northern Bahamas, unleashing sustained winds of up to 185 m.p.h., blinding rain, and rising waters.
Emergency responders reported that many thousands of homes in the Abaco Islands were left damaged or destroyed, with videos showing floodwaters just below battered rooftops, submerged cars, and floating debris.
The storm, moving at a slow pace of one mile per hour, reached the island of Grand Bahama early on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center. It had been downgraded from a Category 5 to an 'extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane,' and was expected to hover in the region for much of Monday before moving close to the Florida coast late tonight, the center said.
Foreign Minister Darren Henfield told the ZNS Network that 'from all accounts we have received catastrophic damage.' He added that there were reports of casualties and bodies being seen, but these could not be confirmed until officials went out to assess the situation.
On the Abaco Islands, officials said it was too early to fully assess the damage because wind and rain still made it too dangerous to reach many of the smaller offshore islands.
One resident on the Great Abaco island posted a harrowing video showing water gushing through a roadway and extensive damage inside apartments. She said the roof came off her building and pleaded for prayers, stating, 'Please pray for us. We're stuck right here. My baby's only four months old.'
Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, who had warned that 73,000 residents and 21,000 homes could be affected, urged residents of the Grand Bahama Island to move to safer ground in the main city of Freeport. On the Abaco Islands, parts of the main city of Marsh Harbour flooded.
Dr. Minnis described the storm as 'a deadly storm and a monster storm,' and as a physician, he said he had never experienced anything like it.
Residents of the Abaco Islands anxiously scoured social media and the news, trying to sift through rumors for solid information on the condition of their communities and the status of their neighbors, friends, and relatives.
However, with phone, Internet, and power lines down in many places, communication was severely limited.
