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90-737: Eight Mile Rock is one of the Grand Bahama island's oldest communities. Eight Mile Rock consist of 11 subsettlements: Hepburn Town, Bartlett Hill, Hanna Hill, Pinedale, Martin Town, Russell Town, Jones Town, Seagrape. Eight Mile Rock is 14 miles from Freeport and the largest settlement outside of Freeport. This area obtained its name from the eight miles of solid rock found along its shore line. Its geographical coordinates are 26° 31' 0" North, 78° 47' 0" West. 26°30′58″N 78°45′32″W  /  26.516050°N 78.758940°W  / 26.516050; -78.758940 This Bahamian location article

180-507: A Category 5 hurricane and caused catastrophic destruction. One aspect that contributes to the economy of The Bahamas is what they directly export and import. The Bahamas ranks as the 137th largest exporter and 117th largest importer in the world. Some of the major trading partners include the United States , France , and Finland . Top exports include; passenger cargo ships, special purpose ships, and refined petroleum. Freeport ,

270-533: A land patent , granting The Bahamas to the eight Lords Proprietors of the Carolinas . By 1828, Grand Bahama remained almost unpopulated. A brief smuggling boom occurred during the years of prohibition in the United States , when West End, Grand Bahama, and Bimini served as waystations for illicit imports of liquor to the U.S. The first major resort and the first commercial airport on Grand Bahama

360-608: A transshipment / container port partly owned by Hong Kong conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa and the Grand Bahama Port Authority. There are also quarrying operations on the island and a large shipyard. There are two airports on the island: Grand Bahama International Airport in Freeport , and West End Airport in West End . Grand Bahama International Airport is the larger of the two, and West End Airport

450-518: A Category 1-equivalent extratropical storm , before making its fourth and final landfall on the northern part of Newfoundland several hours later. By 11:00 p.m. AST on September 8 (03:00 UTC on September 9), Dorian had moved into the Labrador Sea , 375 miles off the coast, moving northeastward at 24 mph (39 km/h), with wind speeds of 60 mph (97 km/h), maintaining tropical storm -strength winds. As Dorian no longer posed

540-668: A Category 5 hurricane. Samuel Butler, the Royal Bahamas Police Force assistant commissioner with responsibility for Grand Bahama and the Northern Region (Abaco, Bimini and the Berry Islands), told residents "if you do not heed to the warning [...] we know that the end could be fatal" and Don Cornish, the administrator with the City of Freeport told others seeking shelter at Old Bahama Bay Hotel "that

630-473: A central barometric pressure of 910 millibars (27 inHg), as Dorian reached its peak intensity during landfall. Storm chaser Josh Morgerman observed a pressure of 913.4 mbar (26.97 inHg) in Marsh Harbour . Dorian's forward speed decreased around this time, slowing to a westward crawl of 5 mph (8.0 km/h). At 02:00 UTC on September 2, Dorian made landfall on Grand Bahama near

720-703: A city in Grand Bahama has some industries that also contribute to the economy. These major industries are pharmaceutical plants, Fragrance of The Bahamas perfume factory, an oil transshipment company, and an immunology research center. Despite The Bahamas being big exporters and importers, their agriculture and fisheries also help with the economy. They produce agriculture ranging from crops , poultry , livestock , to dairy . On commercial farms in Grand Bahama, vegetable and citrus production are produced and exported to other countries. For their fisheries, Crayfish and conch are their top exports. Even though

810-804: A collective capacity of 48,500 persons opened; 24,000 cots were distributed to these shelters. A state of emergency was declared for the United States Virgin Islands on August 28. Curfews were enacted for the British and United States Virgin Islands for the duration of the hurricane. A warning to take immediate cover was issued by the NHC Twitter account, at 11   a.m. EDT on September 1, 2019, as Dorian made landfall in Elbow Cay , Bahamas , at 16:40 UTC as

900-786: A curfew was set in place for Flagler County that will start at 7   p.m. Tuesday until further notice. Legoland Florida and parts of Walt Disney World were closed on Tuesday. The parts not closed stayed open until either 2   p.m or 3   p.m. EDT. It was announced on Tuesday that Walt Disney World would fully open back up for Wednesday. Uber started offering fee waivers on roundtrip rides to and from shelters for up to $ 20. Comcast started offering free Wi-Fi to everyone in Florida, Verizon provided unlimited calling, data, and texting for customers, and AT&T waived data overage charges for residents. On September 3, 115 general shelters and 48 special needs shelters were open across

990-415: A defined area of low pressure consolidated at the surface and thunderstorm activity increased. The system acquired sufficient organized convection to be classified as Tropical Depression Five at 15:00 UTC on August 24. At this time the system was situated 805 mi (1,300 km) east-southeast of Barbados . A deep ridge imparted continued westward movement of the depression, steering it toward

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1080-598: A hurricane and made landfall in Saint Croix and a few hours later, at 18:00 UTC, Dorian made landfall on Saint Thomas at a slightly higher intensity. However, the hurricane's small size prevented mainland Puerto Rico from experiencing hurricane- or tropical storm-force winds, although this was not the case for the Spanish Virgin Islands . Once the system moved north past the Virgin Islands,

1170-438: A hurricane watch was issued for the entire coast. This was later upgraded to a warning as Dorian's expected track took it near the coast. On August 30, North Carolina governor Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency for the entire state, due to the hurricane. Charlotte Motor Speedway opened their campgrounds free of charge to evacuees of Hurricane Dorian. In Durham , a large statewide hurricane shelter opened inside

1260-416: A hurricane watch was issued for the south coast of Georgia as Dorian neared. It was later extended to include the whole coast. A tropical storm warning was issued for the entire coast as well. On August 31, South Carolina governor Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency for the entire state after the path of Dorian shifted to affect South Carolina as a strong hurricane. On September 1, during

1350-456: A large part of the affected areas. At 7:00 (UTC) on September 2, 2019, Grand Bahama International Airport was underwater. Minister of Agriculture Michael Pintard reported an estimated storm tide of 20 to 25 ft (6.1 to 7.6 m) at his home on Grand Bahama. The Bahamas prime minister, Hubert Minnis, said "This is a deadly [...] monster storm". Marsh Harbour received "catastrophic damage", according to an ABC News team. Over 75% of

1440-568: A news conference, Governor McMaster announced that mandatory evacuations for Jasper , Beaufort , Colleton , Charleston , Berkeley , Dorchester , Georgetown , and Horry counties will go into effect on Monday, September 2, at noon. State government offices and schools in the counties previously mentioned will be closed until further notice, starting Tuesday. Due to the evacuations, many colleges including College of Charleston and Coastal Carolina University were closed from Tuesday until further notice. On September 2, as Dorian's track shifted,

1530-401: A peak gust of 111 mph (179 km/h). Wind gusts on Saint Thomas reached 75 mph (121 km/h). Island-wide blackouts occurred on Saint Thomas and Saint John , while 25,000 customers lost power on Saint Croix . The high winds downed trees across the islands. Along the coast, multiple boats broke from their moorings and washed ashore. Some flooding occurred on Tortola in

1620-620: A stable source of income when in 1955 a Virginian financier named Wallace Groves began redevelopment with the Bahamian government to build the city of Freeport under the Hawksbill Creek Agreement and create the Grand Bahama Port Authority . Soon after, the ambitious Edward St. George, with the financial help of Sir Jack Hayward , took the company to new frontiers. Seeing the success of Cuba as

1710-519: A threat to Atlantic Canada at that time, the NHC issued their final advisory on the storm. On September 10, Dorian's extratropical remnant dissipated off the coast of southern Greenland . Prior to Dorian's arrival in the Lesser Antilles, local governments issued various tropical cyclone warnings and watches across the islands. LIAT cancelled multiple flights across the Lesser Antilles due to

1800-472: A tourist destination for wealthy Americans, St. George was eager to develop Grand Bahama in a similar vein. The city grew rapidly, with St. George adding a harbour, an airport soon after the city was founded, and the tourist center of Port Lucaya in 1962. Grand Bahama became the second most populous island in The Bahamas (over 50,000 in 2004). On September 1, 2019, Hurricane Dorian struck the island as

1890-420: Is 28 °C (82 °F), and the average low is 19 °C (66 °F). The rainy season in The Bahamas is from May to October. The hurricane season runs from June through November, with the greatest risk in the months of August, September, and October. The Indigenous Lucayan people 's name for the island was Bahama ('large upper middle island'). Grand Bahama's existence for almost two centuries

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1980-503: Is a shrub native to The Bahamas. It is densely branched with bright green leaves and yellow flowers that usually attract butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. The casuarina is an invasive species to The Bahamas. It is a flowering shrub or tree with fine leaves that can grow to a height of 65 feet. The casuarina is common along the islands' shorelines, due to its salt-tolerance and ability to thrive in sandy soils. Hurricane Dorian Effects Other wikis Hurricane Dorian

2070-407: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Grand Bahama Grand Bahama Island has a tropical monsoon climate , with a hot and wet season from May through October, and warm and dry season from November through April. In Freeport the summer high temperatures average 31 °C (88 °F), with average lows of 26 °C (79 °F). During the winter, the average high temperature

2160-457: Is a medium-sized bird native to The Bahamas. This endangered bird breeds in the islands' pine woodland , but is threatened due to human development . This swallow has a green head and back, blue wings with a black tail, and a white belly and chin. The tiger shark is a species that gets its name from the vertical stripes that line its body. They are often found near canals, harbours and shallow reefs of Grand Bahama Island. The yellow elder

2250-421: Is also believed to have caused water wells to be contaminated with seawater, creating an urgent need for clean water. Total damage in the country reached $ 3.4 billion. Property damage accounted for $ 2.5 billion; the nation suffered $ 717 million in economic losses; and $ 221 million was required for debris removal and cleaning a large oil spill. Around 11:24 UTC on September 2, 2019, total power

2340-793: Is feared that the Bahama nuthatch may have been wiped out by Dorian, as it caused catastrophic damage to the Bahamian pineyards . A 2020 post-hurricane assessment by the IUCN Red List still entertains the probability of the species being extant, although likely having a maximum population size of only 50 individuals and likely well below that, and indicates that extensive surveys for the species will be needed to confirm its status. The International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) reported that as many as 13,000 homes were damaged or destroyed on Abaco Island. Extensive flooding

2430-422: Is home to many different species of bats , including the buffy flower bat , whose hair is white and brown. As the name suggests, it has a flowery nose that helps pollinate flowers and is usually found in dark caves or abandoned homes. The Bahama woodstar is a non-migratory hummingbird found in brushy habitats, including forest and undergrowth, areas of low-growing, and scrubby vegetation. The Bahama swallow

2520-635: Is not a good idea [...] reconsider that decision". On August 28, Florida governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 26 counties in the hurricane's expected path. This later expanded to the entire state on August 29. First responders distributed sandbags in many counties. Residents began stocking up on supplies throughout the state. In Brevard County , locals worked to trim large tree branches to protect power lines. The University of Central Florida , Stetson University , Rollins College , and Daytona State College cancelled classes between August 30 and September 3. In addition,

2610-489: Is open sporadically for private aircraft only. Grand Bahama is divided into three districts and seven town areas for administrative purposes. Each district is run by a chief councilor, and each town area or township is run by a chairperson. As of 1996 Grand Bahama has three districts: Elections are held every 5 years in The Bahamas. The two principal parties are the Progressive Liberal Party and

2700-653: Is under investigation by multiple agencies including NOAA's acting chief scientist, the inspector general of the Commerce Department, and the House of Representatives committee which oversees NOAA. As Dorian approached Atlantic Canada , hurricane and tropical storm warnings were issued for Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island , and Newfoundland . On September 6, the Halifax Regional Municipality encouraged residents living along

2790-578: Is unknown, with 245 people still missing as of August 2020. Dorian is the costliest disaster in Bahamian history, estimated to have left behind $ 3.4 billion (2020 USD) in damage in that country, while causing a total of $ 5.1 billion in damage overall. Due to the damage and loss of life, the name Dorian was later retired from the Atlantic rotating naming lists by the World Meteorological Organization . On August 19, 2019,

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2880-467: The 1935 Labor Day hurricane for the highest wind speeds of an Atlantic hurricane ever recorded at landfall. Dorian went on to strike Grand Bahama at similar intensity, stalling just north of the territory with unrelenting winds for at least 24 hours. The resultant damage to these islands was catastrophic; most structures were flattened or swept to sea, and at least 70,000 people were left homeless. After it ravaged through The Bahamas, Dorian proceeded along

2970-526: The Abaco Islands . A few hours later, destructive conditions arrived, with Hurricane Dorian making landfall as a Category 5 hurricane at 16:40 UTC, becoming the strongest hurricane in modern records to strike the northwestern Bahamas. Around 12:30   pm AST, Category 5 winds arrived at The Bahamas with the eyewall . Gusts of over 200 mph (320 km/h) also occurred. Devastating storm surge of up to 23 feet swept away many buildings and submerged

3060-1111: The Alabama National Guard would be sending up to fifty support personnel to Florida to aid in recovery efforts. On September 1, Governor DeSantis said that 4,500 members of the United States National Guard had been activated to help aid those affected by Dorian, saying that the hurricane is "way too close for comfort." On Sunday, September 1, Jacksonville , Florida, announced mandatory evacuations for Monday, September 2, taking effect at 8   a.m. The city bridges closed when wind speeds of 40 mph (64 km/h) were recorded. Emergency shelters opened at 10   a.m. on Monday. Broward County Public Schools will be closed Tuesday; all city and government offices, as well as all Duval County Public Schools , St. Johns County Public Schools , and Brevard Public Schools will be closed for Tuesday and Wednesday. Neptune Beach , Jacksonville Beach , and Atlantic Beach will closed Sunday night. On September 2,

3150-590: The Florida Institute of Technology , University of North Florida , Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University , Florida Atlantic University , University of South Florida , Florida International University and the University of Miami cancelled classes for at least one day on top of the three-day Labor Day weekend. The National Park Service shut down Biscayne National Park starting at 1:30pm on August 30. When it became apparent that Dorian would near

3240-480: The Free National Movement . . Grand Bahama also is a part of the islands outside of New Providence and operate under Local Government; this allows for a greater allowance for people to have a more direct rule. The intention of Local government is to not have direct connections to any political party. Grand Bahama Island is populated with a variety of plants, birds, mammals and fish. The Bahamas

3330-801: The Lesser Antilles . A small cyclone, it soon developed a defined inner core with a 12 mi (18 km) wide eye-like feature. This marked the system's intensification into a tropical storm, at which time it was assigned the name Dorian by the NHC. Thereafter, moderate wind shear and surrounding dry air limited further organization. Rainbands gradually wrapped more around Dorian on August 25–26, though convection remained inconsistent. Dorian continued moving west and made landfall at 01:00 UTC on August 27 in Barbados, bringing tropical storm-force winds and heavy rain. It then started moving northwestward toward Saint Lucia . At 11:00 UTC of

3420-492: The National Hurricane Center (NHC) identified a tropical wave —an elongated trough of low air pressure —within a monsoon trough over Guinea and Senegal in western Africa. Convective activity associated with the wave was limited by an abundance of Saharan dust in the region. Propagating west over the tropical Atlantic Ocean, the system remained disorganized for several days. On August 23,

3510-489: The North Carolina National Guard to help aid in recovery efforts. On September 3, a hurricane watch was issued for the entire coastline. It was later upgraded to a warning just a few hours later. On September 2, Virginia governor Ralph Northam declared a state of emergency ahead of Dorian's anticipated impact on coastal Virginia. On September 3, a tropical storm watch was issued for

3600-523: The Puerto Rico National Guard was activated to support any relief operations related to the storm. Fears centered around the still-unstable power grid which was largely destroyed by Maria; hundreds of utility workers were deployed to quickly fix any outages. In some areas, power lines remained affixed to palm trees. An estimated 30,000 homes still had damaged roofs from the 2017 hurricane. Territory-wide, 360 shelters with

3690-639: The special election in North Carolina's 3rd congressional district and for some counties in the special election for the 9th congressional district was also temporarily halted after Wednesday, September 4 as a result, until the North Carolina State Board of Elections could decide what action to take. Ultimately, Karen Brinson Bell, the Board's Executive Director, would opt to use her emergency powers to extend early voting hours for

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3780-688: The 3rd district, but not for 6 other affected counties suffering from "power outages, poor conditions or a lack of workers." Further north, along the Outer Banks in Dare County a mandatory evacuation order was given on September 2, 2019. Visitors and tourists were required to evacuate by noon on September 3, while residents were required to evacuate by 6:00 a.m. on September 4. The state's ports were closed starting at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, September 4, until further notice. On September 3, Governor Cooper activated more than 300 members of

3870-422: The 9th district through Saturday, September 7, but only in four harder-hit counties that actually closed polling sites, and to have other counties further inland which did not close polling sites end early voting on Friday, September 6, as originally prescribed under state law, in order to make the most of the district's resources. Likewise, the Board extended early voting hours through Saturday for 11 counties in

3960-736: The British Virgin Islands. Downed trees knocked out power to some residences on Virgin Gorda . Because the hurricane moved farther northeast than initially anticipated, its effects in Puerto Rico were relatively limited. A man in Bayamón died when he fell off his roof trying to clean drains in advance of the storm. Increased tides were experienced in The Bahamas ahead of the storm, with rip currents occurring as well. On September 1, 2019, hurricane conditions arrived in some of

4050-557: The Delmarva Peninsula. This was upgraded to a warning a day later as Dorian's track became more apparent. On September 4, as Dorian's large size was expected to potentially bring tropical storm conditions to southern Maryland and Delaware, in correspondence with the upgrading of the tropical storm watch in effect for the Delmarva to a warning, a tropical storm watch was issued for areas south of Fenwick Island , and areas of

4140-448: The Florida coastline, a tropical storm watch was issued for the Florida east coast from Deerfield Beach to Sebastian Inlet on August 31. It was upgraded to a tropical storm warning a few hours later. A hurricane watch was issued for the area north of Deerfield Beach on September 1, and it was upgraded to a hurricane warning later that day. On the night of September 1, a hurricane watch was issued for Volusia and Broward counties, which

4230-507: The Humane Society of Grand Bahama's experiencing stronger storm surges than expected. Workers had attempted to help the animals before retreating to the attic crawl space but almost half of the 190 dogs in their care died in the flooding and some of the 85 cats died as well. The numbers of animals has varied with earlier reports claiming that there were 135 dogs and 155 cats in the shelters care, with 80 cats and 90 dogs surviving. It

4320-563: The Southeast U.S. For days in advance of the storm, experts at U.S. Geological Survey warned of the likelihood of rip currents and beach erosion along the Southeast U.S. shoreline. The organization deployed at least 150 storm-tide sensors and 22 other instruments to track the hurricane's effects along the coast. On September 1, President Donald Trump tweeted that multiple states, including Alabama , "will most likely be hit (much) harder than anticipated." By that date, no weather forecaster

4410-474: The Tidal Potomac River south of Cobb Island , as well as areas south of Drum Point . In Ocean City, Maryland , officials closed the seawall and removed items from the beach and boardwalk; swimming restrictions were also put into place. In Rehoboth Beach, Delaware , swimming restrictions were also put into place, while the portion of the weekend Sandcastle Contest to take place on September 6

4500-618: The coasts of the Southeastern United States and Atlantic Canada , leaving behind considerable damage and economic losses in those regions. Dorian developed from a tropical wave on August 24 over the Central Atlantic. The storm moved through the Lesser Antilles and became a hurricane north of the Greater Antilles on August 28. Dorian proceeded to undergo rapid intensification over

4590-483: The east coast of Florida, with Dorian's wind field expanding during this time. While moving northwestward, Dorian gradually reorganized. At 06:00 UTC on September 5, Dorian moved over the warm waters of the Gulf Stream and completed its eyewall replacement cycle, reintensifying into a Category 3 hurricane off the coast of South Carolina . However, several hours later, Dorian encountered high wind shear , causing

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4680-471: The east coast of Florida. Dwindling in strength, the hurricane turned to the northeast the next day and made landfall on Cape Hatteras at Category 2 intensity on September 6. Dorian transitioned into an extratropical cyclone on September 7, before striking first Nova Scotia and then Newfoundland with hurricane-force winds on the next day. The storm finally dissipated near Greenland on September 10. From August 26 to August 28,

4770-649: The eastern shores of Nova Scotia to evacuate, citing expected high winds, heavy rainfall, and waves up to 15 m (49 ft) in height. The Nova Scotia Emergency Management Office implored residents to secure easily dislodged objects to prevent high winds from turning them into projectiles, drawing comparisons to Hurricane Juan in 2003. Nova Scotia Power set up an emergency operations center and mobilized 1,000 personnel, including forestry crews, damage assessors, as well as power line technicians from adjacent provinces, to prepare for Dorian's impacts. WestJet , Air Canada , and Porter Airlines issued travel advisories for

4860-526: The economy is based heavily on what The Bahamas produces and sells, tourism is the mainstay of the island's economy. The resort area at Port Lucaya and visits by cruise ships provide the bulk of this activity. Grand Bahama's tourism sector is complemented by the BORCO oil bunkering facility owned by Buckeye , the South Riding Point oil storage and transhipment terminal owned by Statoil , and

4950-462: The eight-year-old boy, were confirmed dead on the Abaco Islands, the prime minister told reporters on Monday. By Wednesday, the death toll had been raised to twenty, according to the prime minister. This soon increased to forty-three by Saturday. However, a Bahamas newspaper suggested that the actual death toll could be over 3,000. The local animal shelters were hit hard by the storm with

5040-612: The following day. On the morning of September 1, a dropsonde deployed by a NOAA aircraft measured a wind gust of 176 knots (326 km/h; 203 mph) at the surface. With one-minute sustained winds of 180 mph (285 km/h) and a minimum pressure of 913 mbar (27.0 inHg), the NHC noted that Dorian was the strongest hurricane in modern records to affect the northwestern Bahamas. At 16:40 UTC on September 1, Dorian made landfall on Great Abaco Island in The Bahamas, with one-minute sustained winds of 185 mph (298 km/h), wind gusts over 220 mph (355 km/h), and

5130-581: The following days Trump insisted repeatedly that he had been right about the hurricane threatening Alabama. On September 4 in the Oval Office, Trump displayed a modified version of the National Hurricane Center's August 29 diagram of Dorian's projected track. The modification was done with a black Sharpie marker to extend the cone of uncertainty of the hurricane's possible path into southern Alabama. Trump said he did not know how

5220-506: The following days, before reaching its peak as a Category 5 hurricane with one-minute sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 910 millibars (26.87 inHg) by September 1. It made landfall in The Bahamas in Elbow Cay , just east of Abaco Island, and again on Grand Bahama several hours later, where it remained nearly stationary for the next day or so. After weakening considerably, Dorian began moving northwestward on September 3, parallel to

5310-710: The former Sears store at the Northgate Mall . The University of North Carolina at Wilmington cancelled classes for the week of September 3 and issued a mandatory evacuation of the campus. Over the Labor Day weekend, several school districts announced plans to close ahead of expected evacuations. New Hanover County , Pender County and Brunswick County , all in the Cape Fear region , cancelled public schools on September 4–5, as did several private schools and community colleges. Early voting for most counties in

5400-410: The homes had been damaged, Marsh Harbour International Airport's runway was underwater, there was significant flooding on streets and beaches, damage to trees and with some home's roofs ripped off entirely. The scene was described by an ABC reporter as "pure hell". An eight-year-old boy drowned in the storm surge, while the boy's sister was also reported to be missing. Four other people, along with

5490-460: The map came to be modified. The incident resulted in the hashtag "Sharpiegate" trending on Twitter. Later the same day, Trump tweeted a map dated August 28, showing numerous projected paths of Dorian. Trump falsely asserted "almost all models" showed Dorian hitting Alabama, even though the map showed most predicted paths would not enter Alabama. On September 6, NOAA published an unsigned statement which supported Trump's initial claim that Alabama

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5580-494: The most powerful hurricanes recorded in the Atlantic Ocean in terms of 1-minute sustained winds , and the strongest since Wilma in 2005. Dorian was the fourth named storm , second hurricane, the first major hurricane , and the first Category 5 hurricane of the 2019 Atlantic hurricane season . Dorian struck the Abaco Islands on September 1 with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph (295 km/h), tying with

5670-406: The nation would "shut down" for the duration of Dorian. In Dominica, Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit ordered all public sector workers to remain home and prepare for the storm. The Ministry of Public Works mobilized heavy machinery and the police were placed on high alert. Puerto Rico Wanda Vázquez Garced declared a state of emergency for the territory on August 27. The following day,

5760-453: The newer airport at Freeport in the 1960s. The major settlement that developed on the island was Freeport- Lucaya , but other hamlets and settlements emerged, including Russell Town, Williams Town, Smith's Point, Mather Town, Pinder's Point, Lewis Yard, Hunter's, and Mack Town. By the mid-20th century, Grand Bahama's population numbered around 500 and the island was one of the least developed of The Bahamas' islands. However it finally gained

5850-472: The official death toll rose to 56. By February 2020, the death toll rose to 74; including 63 in Abaco and 11 in Grand Bahama, with 282 people still reported as missing. The National Centers for Environmental Information estimated total damage in the United States to be in excess of $ 1.2 billion. On September 2, Florida began experiencing tropical storm-force winds. At 18:00 UTC (2 p.m. EDT),

5940-615: The same day, Dorian made landfall on the island of Saint Lucia as a tropical storm, briefly disrupting the core of the storm, before entering the Caribbean Sea . The storm underwent a center relocation further north, to the west of Martinique , causing the island to experience tropical storm-force winds as well. Dorian had been predicted to travel northwest and pass over or near the Dominican Republic or Puerto Rico , possibly allowing their mountainous terrain to weaken

6030-558: The same intensity, with the same sustained wind speed. Afterward, Dorian's forward speed slowed to just 1 knot (1.2 mph; 1.9 km/h), as the Bermuda High that was steering the storm westward weakened. Later that day, the storm began to undergo an eyewall replacement cycle to the north of Grand Bahama; the Bermuda High to the northeast of Dorian also collapsed, causing Dorian to stall just north of Grand Bahama. Around

6120-413: The same time, the combination of the eyewall replacement cycle and upwelling of cold water caused Dorian to begin weakening, with Dorian dropping to Category 4 status at 15:00 UTC. Due to the absence of steering currents, Dorian stalled north of Grand Bahama for about a day. Dorian subsequently weakened to a Category 2 storm on September 3, before beginning to move northwestward at 15:00 UTC, parallel to

6210-412: The state of Florida. On August 28, Georgia governor Brian Kemp declared a state of emergency for coastal counties of Georgia that are in the forecast path of the hurricane, including Brantley , Bryan , Camden , Charlton , Chatham , Effingham , Glynn , Liberty , Long , McIntosh , Pierce and Wayne counties. Governor Kemp added several more counties on Wednesday, September 4, bringing

6300-489: The states of Florida, Georgia , South Carolina , North Carolina and Virginia all declared a state of emergency and many coastal counties from Florida to North Carolina issued mandatory evacuation orders. Damage in The Bahamas was catastrophic due to the prolonged and intense storm conditions, including heavy rainfall, high winds and storm surge , with thousands of homes destroyed and at least 77 direct deaths recorded, 74 of which occurred in The Bahamas. The true death toll

6390-522: The storm affected several parts of the northernmost Lesser Antilles. Damaging winds primarily affected the Virgin Islands where gusts reached 111 mph (179 km/h). Extensive precautionary measures were taken to mitigate damage, especially in Puerto Rico , where one person died. Elsewhere in the Lesser Antilles, impacts from the storm were relatively minor. In preparation for the storm,

6480-539: The storm and airports across the Virgin Islands temporarily suspended operations. Many of the threatened islands suffered devastating impacts in 2017 from Hurricanes Irma and Maria , lending to greater vigilance. In Barbados, thirty-eight shelters opened island-wide, with 103 residents seeking refuge in them. All public services were suspended for the duration of the storm. Homeless persons were transported to shelter by emergency personnel. On August 26, St. Lucia prime minister Allen Chastanet announced that

6570-517: The storm entered a more favorable environment. On the next day, the system started to rapidly intensify , reaching Category 2 status early on August 30. Rapid intensification continued, and the storm eventually reached major hurricane status several hours later, on the same day. This strengthening trend came to a halt for the remainder of the day, but soon resumed. The system continued strengthening, and on August 31, Dorian attained Category 4 major hurricane status. Dorian reached Category 5 intensity on

6660-792: The storm to weaken to a Category 2 hurricane early on September 6. Then, at 12:35 UTC that day, Dorian made landfall in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina as a Category 2 hurricane, with 1-minute sustained winds of 100 mph (160 km/h) and a minimum central pressure of 956 mb (28.2 inHg). Afterward, Dorian began to transition into an extratropical cyclone as it quickly moved northeastward, completing its transition on September 7. The storm maintained its intensity, due to baroclinic processes, generating Category 2 hurricane-equivalent winds. Several hours later, at 7:05 p.m. AST on September 7 (23:05 UTC on September 7), Dorian made landfall on Sambro Creek , Nova Scotia , as

6750-556: The storm while officials in Brigantine removed lifeguard stands and boats from the beach. In advance of Dorian, Airbnb offered free housing to evacuees in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, and the Carolinas, valid from August 31 through September 16. AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, and T-Mobile waived charges and/or provided unlimited data to customers within affected states. The American Red Cross Utah Region deployed members to

6840-689: The total number of counties under emergency to 21. Atlanta Motor Speedway opened their campgrounds free of charge to evacuees of Hurricane Dorian. The Georgia State Park System waived parking and pet fees at their parks and made many campgrounds available for evacuees. Georgia State University offered free tickets to their September 7 football game to any evacuees. The College of Coastal Georgia announced campus closures for both Tuesday and Wednesday following Labor Day. Savannah State University also cancelled classes Tuesday. The Georgia coast began experiencing tropical storm force wind gusts and Dorian's outer rain on Wednesday, September 4. On September 2,

6930-604: The tropical storm. At that time, dry air and wind shear were expected to prevent Dorian from attaining hurricane status—although just barely. However, Dorian took a more northerly track than expected, causing it to pass to the east of Puerto Rico and hit the US Virgin Islands . On August 28, Dorian intensified into a Category 1 hurricane as it approached the US Virgin Islands, where hurricane-force winds were recorded; at 15:30 UTC that day, Dorian became

7020-605: The weekend and waived rebooking fees for flights to and from affected areas. From August 26 to 29, Dorian produced damaging winds and heavy rain across the eastern Caribbean. In Barbados, winds reached 55 mph (89 km/h), downing trees and power lines. Isolated interruptions to power occurred on St. Lucia; no damage occurred otherwise in the nation. In Martinique, heavy rains—peaking at 102 mm (4.0 in) in Rivière-Pilote —and winds up to 61 mph (98 km/h) caused some damage, though overall damage

7110-456: Was "the greatest national crisis in our country's history." The United Nations projected that as of Saturday, September 7, at least 70,000 people had been left homeless on Grand Bahama and the Abaco Islands. On Thursday, September 12, over 1,300 people were missing or unaccounted for in The Bahamas, a number which plummeted from 2,500 over the previous two weeks. On September 26, the number of people missing in The Bahamas dropped to 600, while

7200-517: Was a target of the storm and criticized the Birmingham NWS office for denying it. It was later revealed that NOAA had been ordered to issue such a statement by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross , and that he had been told by Acting White House Chief of Staff Mick Mulvaney to get NOAA to support Trump's original statement that Alabama was threatened. This direct White House involvement raised questions about political influence over NOAA, and

7290-413: Was an extremely powerful and catastrophic tropical cyclone , which became the most intense on record to strike The Bahamas . It is tied with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane for the strongest landfall in the Atlantic basin in terms of maximum sustained winds. It is regarded as the worst natural disaster in The Bahamas' recorded history. With winds peaking at 185 mph (295 km/h), it was also one of

7380-517: Was cancelled. Larry Hogan also authorized Maryland's Helicopter Aquatic Rescue Team to help with the North Carolina rescue. As Dorian was pulled to the northeast by a passing cold front , the storm passed just 150 miles (240 km) offshore of New England. As a result of this near-miss, a tropical storm watch was issued on September 5 from Woods Hole to Sagamore Beach , including Nantucket and Martha's Vineyard , in Massachusetts . It

7470-526: Was developed at West End in the late 1940s by the British Butlin's firm, which constructed a 1000-guest resort from scratch, incuding building West End Airport . Butlin's ran the partially-completed facility for a single season (1950) before running out of money. A small part of the resort re-opened in the 1955 and more fundamental redevelopment occurred in 1960. West End Airport remained the main commercial airport for Grand Bahama until overshadowed by

7560-466: Was largely governed by the nature of the treacherous coral reefs surrounding the island, which repelled its Spanish claimants (who largely left it alone apart from infrequent en route stops by ships for provisions) while attracting pirates, who would lure ships onto the reefs where they would run aground and be plundered. The Spaniards took little interest in the island after enslaving the native Lucayan inhabitants. In 1670, Charles II of England issued

7650-614: Was later upgraded to a hurricane warning and extended down the coast. The Florida State League and Gulf Coast League of Minor League Baseball both cancelled the remainder of the regular season and the playoffs due to the hurricane. In college football, the game between the Florida State Seminoles and the Boise State Broncos originally scheduled for 7   p.m. on August 31 in Jacksonville

7740-604: Was lost on the island of New Providence , the following day at 1:50 (UTC) 40% of power had been restored. Tropical storm conditions continued into Monday, September 2. At 2   p.m. EDT, a sustained wind of 56 mph (90 km/h) and a gust of 69 mph (110 km/h) at a NOAA Coastal Marine observing site at Settlement Point on the west end of Grand Bahama Island. On September 3, Prime Minister Hubert Minnis stated, "Our urgent task will be to provide food, water, shelter, safety and security. Additional food will be delivered by NEMA tomorrow." He went on to say that Dorian

7830-660: Was moved to 12:00 p.m. on August 31 in Tallahassee to move the game out of the path of the storm. The Orlando Pride of the National Women's Soccer League postponed their game against the Washington Spirit from August 31 to October 5. The Tampa Bay Rays of Major League Baseball also postponed a game against the Baltimore Orioles . Kay Ivey , Governor of Alabama , announced that

7920-542: Was negligible. Heavy showers in Dominica left multiple communities without power and water. Rainfall extended north to Guadeloupe were accumulations reached 121 mm (4.8 in) in Matouba . Striking the Virgin Islands as an intensifying hurricane, Dorian brought strong winds and heavy rains to the region. Buck Island , just south of Saint Thomas , experienced sustained winds of 82 mph (132 km/h) and

8010-632: Was predicting that Dorian would impact Alabama, and the eight National Hurricane Center forecast updates over the preceding 24 hours showed Dorian steering well away from Alabama and moving up the Atlantic coast. Trump was apparently relying on information that was several days old. Twenty minutes later, the Birmingham, Alabama office of the National Weather Service (NWS) issued a tweet that appeared to contradict Trump, saying that Alabama "will NOT see any impacts from Dorian". Over

8100-579: Was upgraded to a warning later the same day. On September 6, a tropical storm warning was issued for the northern coast of Maine from Bar Harbor to Eastport . In Tennessee , Bristol Motor Speedway opened one of their campgrounds free of charge to evacuees of Hurricane Dorian. Along the Jersey Shore in New Jersey , officials in Margate City prepared sandbags in case of flooding from

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