Hurricane Dorian death toll rises to 7, Bahamas PM says; In US thousands of flights canceled as Cat 2 storm nears
The death toll from Hurricane Dorian’s destructive path through the Bahamas has risen to at least seven as of Tuesday night, Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Missin said at a press conference.
Minnis said local officials expect the death toll to climb higher as the full scale of Dorian’s impact on the region is assessed. The prime minister expects to fly over affected areas to survey the damage as the weather clears.
Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 storm in the northwest islands of the Bahamas on Sunday and came to a virtual halt, battering Abaco and Grand Bahama. More than 13,000 homes were severely damaged or destroyed by the storm, which was the most powerful hurricane ever recorded in the Bahamas.
Dorian is moving offshore near Florida’s eastern coast as a Category 2 storm as of Tuesday evening, with sustained winds of roughly 110 miles per hour. Officials in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina have ordered coastal residents to evacuate amid concerns about deadly storm surge.
The storm resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations to and from airports in Florida, according to air traffic tracker FlightAware. Orlando International Airport was expected to remain closed through Wednesday afternoon.
President Trump canceled a planned trip to Poland over Labor Day weekend to oversee preparations for the storm. Trump has promised further recovery aid to the Bahamas.
“The U.S. may be getting a little bit lucky with respect to Hurricane Dorian, but please don’t let down your guard,” Trump wrote on Twitter. As it heads up the coast, lots of very bad and unpredictable things can happen! On the other hand, the Bahamas have been devastated. We are sending crews to help!”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.