Hurricane Dorian devastates the Bahamas killing a boy, 7, with 1.5 MILLION people evacuated.
The “historic, catastrophic” category 5 Hurricane Dorian hit the Bahamas Sunday—eliciting a slew of urgent public safety warnings, concerns about what’s in store for the Southeastern coast of the United States next week, and impassioned demands for ambitious government action to combat the global climate emergency.
Dorian made landfall at Elbow Cay, Abacos in the Bahamas early Sunday afternoon with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph and gusts over 220 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center. The eye of the hurricane made a second landfall on Great Abaco Island near Marsh Harbor later in the afternoon, with the same sustained windspeed. The center noted in an update on Twitter that “this is tied for the strongest Atlantic hurricane landfall on record with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane.”
Bahamian Official Films Dorian Swallowing His House
Like many Bahamians, Michael Pintard, the country’s minister for agriculture, hunkered down in his home to wait out what was a Category 5 hurricane at the moment Dorian slammed the small Caribbean island’s coast Sunday night.
The largest storm currently on the planet and the strongest to hit the Bahamas in recorded history had sustained winds of 180 mph, and some gusts ranging up to 220 mph as it made landfall there.
Pintard on Monday uploaded surreal video to the internet showing storm waters rising to above his windows, which are at least 20 feet above the ground, according to his estimate.
Minister of Agriculture and Marco City MP Michael Pintard, who lives on Grand Bahama, showing some utterly frightening footage of his home during the passage of Hurricane Dorian. pic.twitter.com/gugVsLMroB
— Travis C-Carroll (@TravisCC) September 2, 2019
“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.
The now viral clip shows the government minister’s home being essentially swallowed up in the massive storm surge and flooding as Hurricane Dorian passed over Grand Bahama.
“That’s water hitting my front window which is extremely high. Of course I’m already completely flooded out. That’s my kitchen window that water is hitting and that has to be a minimum of about 20 feet above the ground,” he narrates amid the chaotic scene.
“This is water by my back door that came from the canal that height has to be 20 to 25 feet above sea level. This is what I’m facing at the moment. I have neighbors who are in a far worse position than me and my family. That’s my bedroom water hitting there,” Pintard says.
Waters in some parts of the islands didn’t appear to abate Monday as rescue operations are underway.
* I do not own this video nor did I take it. The images and videos out of Grand Bahama are getting worse. pic.twitter.com/lnQvmHz1SJ
— Travis C-Carroll (@TravisCC) September 2, 2019
Footage from inside other homes in the Bahamas appeared to show families huddled in attics while water rose to roof level.
Find floatation devices and use hammers to escape your attics through the roof, officials in the northwestern Bahamas reportedly tell residents as they become overwhelmed with distress calls. More: https://t.co/e9ujsvGTmH pic.twitter.com/2vUrkZbNmA
— The Weather Channel (@weatherchannel) September 2, 2019
Official emergency sources are alerting health officials that many families are trapped in attics and crawl spaces inside flooded homes amid the continuing storm surge in what remains an incredibly dangerous situation.
Hurricane Update: Iram Lewis,
Member of Parliament,
Central Grand Bahama sent me this video of Freeport International Airport: FPO pic.twitter.com/oDPIJXBnP9— Dem House Leader (@kionnemcghee) September 2, 2019
Some of the footage also shows horrific moments water begins to pour into the windows of homes with people still in them.
* I do not own this video, nor did I take it. A resident on Grand Bahama shows the horror unfolding inside his home during Hurricane Dorian. pic.twitter.com/lJ2GQDBTrG
— Travis C-Carroll (@TravisCC) September 2, 2019
According to the National Hurricane Center, Grand Bahama Island is still experiencing catastrophic winds and storm surge into Monday afternoon.
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