This archive report was first published on 3 September 2019.
Published on September 3, 2019, a monster storm Dorian hovered over the Bahamas, causing widespread destruction and chaos in low-lying island communities.
At least five people have been confirmed dead in Abaco, with the Royal Bahamas Police Force working to assess and identify the victims.
Prime Minister Hubert Minnis described the hurricane as a 'historic tragedy' for the archipelago, with teams set to visit Abaco to conduct a full assessment.
As Dorian ground to a standstill, pounding Grand Bahama further to the west, the Bahamas tourism and aviation ministry announced the start of rescue operations in safe areas.
US forecasters warned that the storm would continue to hammer the Bahamas overnight into Tuesday, with many residents waiting in terror for help to arrive.
A text message from a woman named Kendra Williams, who lives on Grand Bahama, pleaded for assistance, saying 'We are under water; we are up in the ceiling. Can someone please assist us or send some help. Please.'
Resident Ramond A. King captured scenes of devastation in footage, showing flooded streets, downed power lines, and at least one home washed away.
"Look at this," he said. "We need help, everything down. Everything down. Look at my roof off, my house. I still got life. Thank God for life. I can rebuild."
The National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of a 12 to 18 foot storm surge above tide levels in parts of Grand Bahama, accompanied by large and destructive waves.
Water levels in the Abacos, swamped by a similar surge Sunday, were expected to slowly subside.
"On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will continue to pound Grand Bahama Island into Tuesday morning," the NHC said.
"The hurricane will then move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late Tuesday through Wednesday evening, and then move dangerously close to the Georgia and South Carolina coasts on Wednesday night and Thursday."
Over 1 million people in the eastern US states have been ordered to evacuate, with neighbouring North Carolina and Virginia also declaring states of emergency.
