bdmetronews Desk ॥ Americans were preparing to evacuate their homes on Monday as Hurricane Dorian battered the Bahamas with winds of up to 220mph.
Authorities have evacuated people from the coasts of Georgia, North Carolina and South Carolina after the National Hurricane Center said water levels could rise as much as 23ft above typical levels due to storm surges.
Hurricane Dorian also turned fatal at the weekend when the Category 5 storm claimed the life of Lachino Mcintosh, seven, in the Bahamas.
He got in trouble while trying to escape the bad weather with his family near their home in Abaco, according to Bahamas press.
His sister went missing in the storm, which is the worst the Bahamas has seen in recent history.
South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster ordered a mandatory evacuation of the entire coast of the state amid Dorian’s threat.
The order, which covers about 830,000 people, goes into effect at noon local time on Monday, when state troopers will begin reversing lanes so they all head inland on major coastal highways.
“We can’t make everybody happy,” Mr McMaster said. “But we believe we can keep everyone alive.”
Georgia’s governor Brian Kemp also ordered a mandatory evacuation of the state’s Atlantic coast, also starting at noon on Monday.
Authorities in Florida ordered mandatory evacuations in some vulnerable coastal areas.
The storm’s top sustained winds decreased slightly to 170mph as its westward movement slowed on Sunday, crawling along Grand Bahama island early on Monday at 2mph in what forecasters said would be a day-long assault.
US President Donald Trump asked Americans to “pray for the people in the Bahamas”.
Earlier, Dorian churned over Abaco island with battering winds and surf.
There was little information from the affected islands, but officials expected many residents to be left homeless.
Most people went to shelters as the storm approached, with tourist hotels shutting down and residents boarding up their home.
Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, said: ‘There has been huge damage to property and infrastructure. Luckily, no loss of life reported.’
