Hurricane Dorian
Hurricane Dorian hit the southeast coast of the US last week. Before turning to the East Coast of the United States, the hurricane pounded the Bahamas with Category-5-level winds over 36 hours. The current death toll is 43, but this number will rise significantly as bodies are discovered under the rubble. Lia Head-Rigby, who works for International Relief Teams, described the islands as “total devastation… it’s decimated, apocalyptic.” After flying over the Abaco Islands, she remarked, “It’s not rebuilding something that was there; we have to start again.”
According to Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis, the damage could cost hundreds of millions to billions of dollars. In areas where the storm stalled, like the Abaco Islands and the Grand Bahamas, the damage is so extensive that these areas will have to be rebuilt from the ground up.
Relief efforts are underway for the 70,000+ people who are now homeless. Last Saturday, food, water, medical personnel, and other humanitarian aid began pouring into the Bahamas.
On September 5th, the storm shifted away from the Bahamas and crept toward the United States’ Eastern seaboard. Leaders along the coast prepared their citizens for potential impact. Brenda Bethune, the Mayor of Myrtle Beach, signed a “Declaration of Civil Emergency” in preparation for the hurricane. Meanwhile, General McCarthy made 1,400 members of the South Carolina State Guard available to respond if the storm hit the state’s shores.
And it did hit – hard. It caused over 200,000 power outages, 15+ inches of rain, and 11 tornadoes, most of which were in North Carolina. Severe flooding caused more than 350,000 people to evacuate the coast. So far, two people have died in NC.
After Dorian finished with the Carolina coast, it headed for Virginia. Residents of many Virginia Beach communities were ordered to evacuate. According to one local official, the hurricane had potential “to significantly impact” Virginia Beach.
After causing major floods and power outages in Virginia, the storm headed towards Canada.
On September 7th, Dorian hit Nova Scotia. The storm made landfall as a hurricane-force post-tropical cyclone with extremely strong winds. The hurricane caused nearly half a million power outages in Nova Scotia.
Dorian was one of the most unusual and unpredictable hurricanes we have seen in modern times. The hurricane lasted for nearly 2 weeks, and it made landfall all the way from the Bahamas to Canada. It stalled over the Bahamas for 36 devastating hours. The hurricane had sustained winds of 185 mph which is the second highest of all time.
It caused incredible damage in the Bahamas, but it spared the bulk of the U.S. coast. The smallest of movements to the west could have demolished parts of the U.S. According to Insideclimatenews.org, “Dorian’s size, rainfall, and stalling behavior reflected what scientists expect to see more of as the planet warms.”
If you would like to contribute to organizations that are helping Hurricane Dorian’s victims, below are links to respectable organizations.
