Nation & World News

Hurricane Dorian live updates: Weakening storm wobbles northeast after NC strike

By Cox Media Group National Content Desk
Sept 6, 2019

Hurricane Dorian's eye made landfall Friday morning in Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, and will continue to weaken as it heads northeast, according to the National Hurricane Center.

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Forecasters said Dorian is expected to move toward southeastern New England later Friday and then across Nova Scotia late Saturday or early Sunday, the NHC said.

Here are the latest updates:

Update 12:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 6: After flooding homes along North Carolina's Outer Banks, Hurricane Dorian is moving northeast at around 17 mph, the National Weather Service said.

Hundres of people who defied evacuation orders were feared trapped after the storm brought high water and 90 mph winds across the string of islands, The Associated Press reported.

Dorian is expected to continue to weaken through Saturday when it will become a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds as it nears Nova Scotia, weather officials said.

Update 12:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 6: After flooding homes along North Carolina's Outer Banks, Hurricane Dorian is moving northeast at around 17 mph, the National Weather Service said.

Hundres of people who defied evacuation orders were feared trapped after the storm brought high water and 90 mph winds across the string of islands, The Associated Press reported.

Dorian is expected to continue to weaken through Saturday when it will become a post-tropical cyclone with hurricane-force winds as it nears Nova Scotia, weather officials said.

Update 9:10 a.m. EDT Sept. 6: Hurricane Dorian as made landfall Friday morning on Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, officials said.

Update 8:01 a.m. EDT Sept. 6: According to the 8 a.m. EDT intermediate advisory by the National Hurricane Center, the center of Hurricane Dorian is located 15 miles west-southwest of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

Maximum sustained winds remain at 90 mph, and the storm is moving northeast at 15 mph, the NHC said.

A hurricane warning remains in effect from Little River Inlet to the North Carolina-Virginia border, and also in Pamlico Sound and Albermarle Sound.

Update 5:05 a.m. EDT Sept. 6: The eye of Hurricane Dorian passed just south of Cape Lookout on the North Carolina coast early Friday, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. EDT advisory.

Hurricane-force winds have been reported on the south Outer Banks of North Carolina, the NHC said. At 5 a.m., the center of Dorian, which remained a Category 1 storm, was located 25 miles east of Cape Lookout and 55 miles southwest of Cape Hatteras. Maximum sustained winds are 90 mph and the storm was moving northeast at 14 mph, the NHC said.

A Hurricane warning is in effect from Little River Inlet to the North Carolina-Virginia border, and also in Pamlico Sound and Albermarle Sound.

Update 2:05 a.m. EDT Sept. 6: Hurricane Dorian was downgraded to a Category 1 storm early Friday, with maximum sustained winds of 90 mph, the National Hurricane Center said in its 2 a.m. EDT intermediate advisory.

The storm was producing winds close to hurricane force along eastern North Carolina, the NHC said. At 2 a.m., the storm was located 30 miles south-southwest of Cape Lookout and 55 miles east of Wilmington. The storm is moving northeast at 15 mph.

A hurricane warning is in effect from South Santee River to the North Carolina-Virginia border, the NHC said.

The next advisory by the National Hurricane Center will be issued at 5 a.m. EDT.

Update 11 p.m. EDT Sept. 5: Hurricane Dorian remains a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 100 mph. The storm is moving at 13 mph and is brushing the North Carolina coast.

Update 9:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 5: The death toll has risen to 30 in the Bahamas, according to Dr. Duane Sands, the Bahamas' minister of health. Dr. Sands also told The New York Times that the death count "could be staggering."

A Florida-based cruise line is setting sail and taking supplies, first responders and volunteers to Grand Bahama island and bringing back people who want to evacuate after Hurricane Dorian.

Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line's CEO Oneil Khosa told The Associated Press more than 500 volunteers had signed up to travel Thursday evening from the Port of Palm Beach to help storm victims in Freeport. The company says those traveling need to be in a health care profession or work in construction.

Update 5 p.m. EDT Sept. 5: The eye of Hurricane Dorian is currently passing south, southeast of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina according to the latest update from the National Hurricane Center.

Update 2 p.m. EDT Sept. 5: As Hurricane Dorian continues to pound off the coast of South Carolina, the Tropical Storm Warning for the Georgia coast has ended.

Forecasters said the storm, which is still moving at a steady but sluggish 8 mph, will gain speed on Friday. 

Update 11 a.m. EDT Sept. 5: The eyewall of Hurricane Dorian is just offshore of the South Carolina coast, the National Weather Service said.

The storm is about 50 miles east southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and has somewhat weakened, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph.

"Slow weakening is expected during the next few days," officials said. "However, Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane as the center moves near the coasts of South and North Carolina."

In addition to storm surge, portions of the Carolinas have been pounded with heavy rain, wind and tornadoes.

Update 10 a.m. EDT Sept. 5: More than 200,000 people are without power in South Carolina as Hurricane Dorian trudges north along the Atlantic coast.

Dangerous storm surge is expected along coastal portions of the Carolinas, southeast parts of Virginia and Chesapeake Bay, the National Weather Service said.

 

"Water levels could rise well in advance of the arrival of strong winds," weather officials said.

Update 8 a.m. EDT Sept. 5: The eye of Hurricane Dorian, which remains a Category 3 storm, is heading north-northeastward, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. advisory.

The hurricane, which is moving north-northeast about 8 mph, is about 70 miles south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and 170 miles south-southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, the advisory said. It still has maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, officials said.

The hurricane prompted several tornado warnings in the Carolinas, according to the National Weather Service's Wilmington office. A video appeared to show a possible twister touching down in Pender County.

Read the full advisory here.

Update 5 a.m. EDT Sept. 5: Hurricane Dorian continues to lash the Carolina coast, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. advisory.

 

The Category 3 storm, which has maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, is about 80 miles south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and 200 miles south-southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, the advisory said. It is moving north at 8 mph, officials said.

A hurricane watch and storm surge warning for the area south of the Savannah River is no longer in effect, according to the advisory. A tropical storm watch for the area south of Altamaha Sound, Georgia, also has been discontinued.

A tropical storm watch is now in place for Woods Hole, Massachusetts, to Sagamore Beach, the advisory said. The area includes popular tourist destinations Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.

Read the full advisory here.

 

Update 2:07 a.m. EDT Sept. 5: Hurricane Dorian is "expected to bring damaging winds and life-threatening storm surges" to much of the Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic coasts, the National Hurricane Center said in its 2 a.m. advisory.

The Category 3 storm, which has maximum sustained winds of 115 mph, is about 105 miles south-southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, and 220 miles south-southwest of Wilmington, North Carolina, the advisory said. It is moving north at 7 mph, officials said.

Read the full advisory here.

Update 11 p.m. EDT Sept. 4: In a 11 p.m. update, the National Hurricane Center said that Hurricane Dorian is once again a Category 3 storm with sustained winds of 115 mph.

Update 7 p.m. EDT Sept. 4: The death toll in the Bahamas has risen to 20, according to a new estimate from the Bahamas Health Minister Duane Sands.

Update 6 p.m. EDT Sept. 4: Hurricane Dorian has strengthened a little as it tracks up the Southeast seaboard off Georgia, according to the National Hurricane Center. Dorian's top sustained winds are back up to 110 mph.

Dorian remains a Category 2 hurricane with its eye located about 150 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina. The storm is moving to the north-northwest at 8 mph.

Forecasters say a tropical storm warning has been issued from North Carolina and the Virginia border to Chincoteague, Virginia, and for Chesapeake Bay from Smith Point southward.

Update 2 p.m. EDT Sept. 4: The eye of Hurricane Dorian was about 115 east-northeast of Jacksonville, Florida, National Hurricane Center forecasters said in a 2 p.m. advisory.

The storm was moving north-northwest at about 9 mph. Forecasters said Dorian's maximum sustained winds were measured at 105 mph, making it a Category 2 storm.

Flights out of Jacksonville, Florida, were canceled as Dorian moved to the east of the state.

Waves could be seen pounding the Jacksonville Beach Pier as the hurricane neared.

Update 1:10 p.m. EDT Sept. 4: President Donald Trump said Wednesday that "we got lucky in Florida" as Hurricane Dorian continues to churn in the Atlantic Ocean east of Florida.

Still, his administration is bracing for significant amounts of rain and storm surge as the hurricane makes its way up the coast.

Trump was meeting Wednesday afternoon in the Oval Office with his chief of staff and leaders at the Department of Homeland Security to get the latest information about the hurricane.

Update 12 p.m. EDT Sept. 4: North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Wednesday that at least one person has died in the state as a result of Hurricane Dorian, according to CNN and WTVD.

Cooper said at a news conference that an 85-year-old man died in Columbus County after he fell from a ladder while preparing his home for the storm, WTVD reported.

Update 11:05 a.m. EDT Sept. 4: The National Hurricane Center extended a hurricane warning northeastward along the coast of North Carolina on Wednesday morning as Hurricane Dorian continued to move parallel to the northeastern coast of Florida.

In an 11 a.m. advisory, forecasters with the National Hurricane Center said Dorian was about 90 miles east-northeast of Daytona Beach, Florida, and 205 miles south of Charleston, South Carolina.

The storm remained a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds measured at 105 mph, according to the NHC.

Forecasters with the agency said that if Dorian continues on its projected path, its core will move parallel to the coasts of Florida and Georgia through Wednesday night. On Thursday and Friday, Dorian is expected to move near or over the coasts of South Carolina and North Carolina.

Update 8 a.m. EDT Sept. 4: Hurricane Dorian is "moving north-northwestward parallel to the northeastern coast of Florida," the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. advisory.

The Category 2 storm, which has maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, is about 95 miles east-northeast of Daytona Beach and 135 miles east-southeast of Jacksonville, the advisory said.

Video captured Wednesday morning showed powerful winds from the storm stripping the sand off Jacksonville Beach. People were walking along the beach, despite a mandatory curfew in place until 6 a.m., ActionNewsJax reported.

Read more here.

Update 5:01 a.m. EDT Sept. 4: Hurricane Dorian continued to travel along Florida's northeastern coast early Wednesday, weakening slightly as it brought tropical storm conditions to portions of the state, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. advisory.

The Category 2 storm, which has maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, is about 90 miles east of Daytona Beach and is moving north-northwest at 8 mph, the advisory said.

Read more here.

Update 2:13 a.m. EDT Sept. 4: Hurricane Dorian remained off the Florida coast early Wednesday, bringing tropical storm conditions to parts of the state's northeastern coast, the National Hurricane Center said in its 2 a.m. advisory.

The Category 2 storm, which has maximum sustained winds of 110 mph, is about 80 miles east-northeast of Cape Canaveral and is moving north-northwest at 7 mph, the advisory said.

A storm surge warning for the area south of Sebastian Inlet is no longer in effect, the advisory said.

Read the full advisory here.

Update 11:15 p.m. EDT Sept. 3: The U.S. National Hurricane Center adjusted its forecast tracks Tuesday, putting Dorian closer to the South and North Carolina coasts later in the week

Update 9:45 p.m. EDT Sept. 3: The prime minister of the Bahamas said that the death toll from Hurricane Dorian has risen to seven and that more deaths are expected.

Hubert Minnis said the deaths involved two people who were injured earlier and taken to New Providence Island. He said he flew over the Abaco Islands and expects to do the same in Grand Bahama as soon as the weather clears.

In Abaco, Minnis saw groups of people waving yellow sheets and shirts. He said 60 percent of homes were damaged in Marsh Harbor and that at least one community was completely destroyed.

Update 6:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 3: Winds are increasing along parts of Florida's East Coast as Hurricane Dorian tracks offshore in the Atlantic.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says the Category 2 storm was centered about 105 miles east of Vero Beach, Florida as 5 p.m. EDT. Top sustained winds are at 110 mph and Dorian is moving to the northwest at 6 mph.

Forecasters say Dorian is expected to move dangerously close to the coast of Florida and Georgia from Tuesday night through Wednesday night before menacing the coast of the Carolinas Thursday and Friday.

The hurricane center has adjusted its forecast tracks closer to the coasts of South and North Carolina, noting “a track that close to the coast, even if landfall does not occur, is likely to bring dangerous winds, life-threatening storm surge, and flooding rains across the eastern portions of the Carolinas.”

Update 3:55 p.m. EDT Sept. 3: Aerial footage obtained by CNN of the Bahamas' Great Abaco Island showed widespread damage in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian.

Update 2 p.m. EDT Sept. 3: Hurricane Dorian picked up speed slightly Tuesday afternoon, moving northwest at 5 mph, up 3 mph from its speed around 11 a.m., forecasters with the National Hurricane Center said in a 2 p.m. advisory.

The storm remained a Category 2 hurricane with maximum sustained winds measured at 110 mph. It was about 110 miles east of Fort Pierce, Florida as of 2 p.m., forecasters said.

Dorian is expected to move north of Grand Bahama Island through Tuesday evening and turn toward the north-northeast on Thursday morning, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Update 11:15 a.m. EDT Sept. 3: Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center said Tuesday morning that Dorian had weakened into a Category 2 hurricane with sustained winds measured at 110 mph.

Officials issued hurricane watches and warnings for parts of North and South Carolina on Tuesday and discontinued hurricane watches for parts of Florida. Forecasters said the storm would likely shift to the north.

According to the National Hurricane Center, Dorian was moving northwest at 2 mph Tuesday morning about 105 miles east of Fort Pierce, Florida.

"On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will gradually move north of Grand Bahama Island through this evening," National Hurricane Center forecaster Daniel Brown said in the agency's 11 a.m. bulletin.

"The hurricane will then move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late today through Wednesday evening, very near the Georgia and South Carolina coasts Wednesday night and Thursday, and near or over the North Carolina coast late Thursday and Thursday night."

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper told reporters Monday that he plans to announce a mandatory evacuation of all the state's barrier islands.

"We're going to be ready for it," Cooper said, according to WWAY.

Cooper said North Carolina will likely begin to feel Dorian's effects starting Wednesday evening.

"Already we've had some local evacuations and some voluntary evacuations, but we know it takes time to get people off these barrier islands so we want to begin the process now," he said.

Update 8:15 a.m. EDT Sept. 3: Hurricane Dorian is beginning to inch northwestward after remaining stationary for several hours over Grand Bahama Island, according to the 8 a.m. intermediate advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is about 40 miles (70 km) northeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island and about 110 miles (175 km) east-northeast of West Palm Beach, Florida.

Forecasters expect Hurricane Dorian to the north by Wednesday evening, and then to the north-northeast by Thursday morning, according to the advisory.

"The hurricane will then move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late today through Wednesday evening, very near the Georgia and South Carolina coasts Wednesday night and Thursday, and near or over the North Carolina coast late Thursday," the advisory said

Update 5:20 a.m. EDT Sept. 3: Hurricane Dorian is still stationary over the Bahamas, but is expected to begin moving northwest later this morning, the National Hurricane Center said in its 5 a.m. advisory.

The storm's effects on the Bahamas have been "catastrophic," the Associated Press reported. At least five people in the Bahamas are reported to have died and 21 people injured, Coast Guard officials told the AP.

“We are in the midst of a historic tragedy,” Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said. “The devastation is unprecedented and extensive.”

Regardless of Dorian's track, the Florida east coast and the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina are expected to experience life-threatening storm surge and dangerous hurricane-force winds Tuesday, the NHC said. The North Carolina coast is at risk for storm surge and hurricane-force winds as well.

Flash flooding is expected today and tonight in Florida, the NHC said.

Update 2:15 a.m. EDT Sept. 3: As of 2 a.m. Tuesday, Hurricane Dorian remained stationary over the Grand Bahama Island, according to the latest intermediate advisory from the National Hurricane Center. The hurricane is now at Category 3 status, with maximum sustained winds of 120 mph (195 km/h).

The storm is expected to begin a slow northwestward motion this morning, the advisory said.

"The hurricane will then move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late today through Wednesday evening, very near the Georgia and South Carolina coasts Wednesday night and Thursday, and near or over the North Carolina coast late Thursday," the advisory said.

Update 8 p.m. EDT Sept. 2: Hurricane Dorian remains stationary, pummeling Grand Bahama Island, according to the latest NHC advisory.

Update 5:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 2: At least five people have died in the Abaco Islands as Hurricane Dorian continues to impact The Bahamas, according to the country's Prime Minister Hubert Minnis.

Update 5:20 p.m. EDT Sept. 2: Walt Disney World Resort is adjusting its hours tomorrow ahead of the hurricane.

Magic Kingdom Park: 8:00 AM-3:00 PM (opening at 7:00 AM for Extra Magic Hours)

Epcot: 7:00 AM-3:00 PM

Disney’s Hollywood Studios: 9:00 AM-2:00 PM (opening at 6:00 AM for Extra Magic Hours)

Disney’s Animal Kingdom: 8:00 AM-2:00 PM (opening at 7:00 AM for Extra Magic Hours)

Disney Springs: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

ESPN Wide World of Sports: Closed

Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park: Closed

Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

Winter Summerland Miniature Golf: 10:00 AM-3:00 PM

Fantasia Gardens Miniature Golf: 10:00 AM- 3:00 PM

More information, including resort closures and special event scheduling, is at the Disney website.

Update 5:10 p.m. EDT Sept. 2: An update from the National Hurricane Center says the eye of the storm remains on The Bahamas as rains and winds continue to pound Great Bahama island.

Update 2:35 p.m. EDT Sept. 2: The U.S. Coast Guard is deploying officials from Florida's Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater to Andros Island, Bahamas, in preparation for hurricane response efforts.

Officials said they were deploying Coast Guard MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters and crews along with health service technicians who will be able to quickly respond to incidents after the storm moves past the islands.

Hurricane Dorian has pounded the Bahamas after making landfall twice Sunday, bringing torrential rains and strong winds. Officials on the islands said casualties and catastrophic damage have been reported.

Forecasters with the National Hurricane Center said the storm was likely to continue battering the Bahamas through Monday night.

Update 2 p.m. EDT Sept. 2: Hurricane Dorian remained a strong Category 4 hurricane as it continued to batter Grand Bahama Island Monday afternoon.

The storm was about 25 miles northeast of Freeport on the island as of 2 p.m. Monday, according to The National Hurricane Center. The storm had maximum sustained winds measured at 150 mph, down 5 mph from the measurement shared by forecasters three hours earlier.

If Dorian continues on its projected path, National Hurricane Center forecasters said it would likely continue to pound Grand Bahama Island before moving "dangerously close" to the Florida coast.

The storm was expected to move dangerously close to the Georgia and South Carolina coasts on Wednesday night and Thursday, forecasters said."

Update 12:35 p.m. EDT Sept. 2: In a video update shared on social media by The Broadcasting Corporation of the Bahamas, Darren Henfield, the country's minister of foreign affairs, said officials have heard reports of casualties and catastrophic damage left by Dorian.

He said authorities could not immediately confirm the reported casualties.

"We cannot confirm those reports until we go out and have a look for ourselves," he said.

Videos shared to social media showed water inundating parts of Grand Bahama, the northernmost island of the Bahamas.

Update 12:05 p.m. EDT Sept. 2: Videos shared on social media Monday showed parts of the Bahamas inundated by rains and flood waters brought by Hurricane Dorian.

 

Update 11:25 a.m. EDT Sept. 2: Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp held a news conference Monday morning to update the public on evacuations efforts.

Update 11 a.m. EDT Sept. 2: Catastrophic winds and storm surge continued to batter Grand Bahama Island Monday morning as Hurricane Dorian crawled westward.

In an 11 a.m. bulletin, officials with the National Hurricane Center said Dorian had weakened slightly from a Category 5 to a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds measured at 155 mph. It is moving west at about 1 mph, according to forecasters.

"Although gradual weakening is forecast, Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next couple of days," forecaster Daniel Brown said in the 11 a.m. update.

Update 10:25 a.m. EDT Sept. 2: Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis held a news conference Monday morning to update the public on evacuation efforts.

According to WFTV, the latest forecast track for Dorian has the storm passing about 50 miles east of the Florida coast.

Update 8:15 a.m. EDT Sept. 2: Hurricane Dorian is moving slowly over Grand Bahama Island, where it's causing "catastrophic" conditions, according to the 8 a.m. intermediate advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

The storm is 35 miles (50 km) east-northeast of Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, and 120 miles (190 km) east of West Palm Beach, Florida.

The hurricane is expected to move "dangerously close" to the east coast of Florida tonight through Wednesday evening, the advisory said.

Update 5:20 a.m. EDT Sept. 2: Hurricane Dorian is continuing to have "devastating effects" on the Grand Bahama Island, forecasters with the National Hurricane Center said in the 5 a.m. advisory. "Catastrophic winds and storm surge" are expected in the area through the day and into the night, the advisory said.

The advisory describes conditions on the island as "catastrophic."

"It's devastating," Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas' Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, told the Associated Press. "There has been huge damage to property and infrastructure. Luckily, no loss of life reported."

The storm currently has maximum sustained winds of 165 mph and is moving west at 1 mph. As Hurricane Dorian moves closer to Florida, life-threatening storm surge and hurricane-force winds are expected along Florida's east coast through the mid-week, the advisory said.

A "brief tornado" is also possible sometime this afternoon or tonight along Florida's east coast, according to the advisory.

Mandatory evacuations have been issued for vulnerable parts of Florida and Georgia, and the entire South Carolina coast, the Associate Press reported. The Georgia and South Carolina evacuations are set to begin at noon.

“We can’t make everybody happy, but we believe we can keep everyone alive,” said South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster.

Update 3:15 a.m. EDT Sept. 2: As of 2 a.m. EDT, Hurricane Dorian was continuing to batter the Grand Bahama Island, according to the latest intermediate advisory from the National Hurricane Center.

The storm's winds have slightly slowed to 175 mph, but it remains an extremely dangerous Category 5 hurricane.

Update 11:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 1: As of 11 p.m. Sunday, Hurricane Dorian has weakened slightly, with top sustained winds down to 180 mph.

Dorian is centered around 55 miles east of Freeport on Grand Bahama Island and 135 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida. It’s moving westward at 6 mph.

 

Update 9:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 1: According to WSB-TV, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp is expected to issue mandatory evacuation orders starting at noon Monday for at least six coastal counties in the state.

Mandatory evacuation orders have also been given in Florida for low-lying and flood-prone areas and mobile homes. They will take effect starting either Sunday or Monday from Palm Beach County north to at least the Daytona Beach area. Some counties to the north issued voluntary evacuation notices.

Update 7 p.m. EDT Sept. 1: South Carolina's governor ordered a mandatory evacuation of his state's entire coast as Hurricane Dorian threatens.

Gov. Henry McMaster’s order goes into effect at noon Monday, when state troopers will begin reversing lanes so that people can all head inland on major coastal highways.

Authorities say the order covers approximately 830,000 people, many of whom will be evacuating for the fourth time in four years.

McMaster says he knows some people won’t be happy having to leave their homes, but he says “We believe we can keep everyone alive.”

The National Hurricane Center forecasts the center of Dorian will stay offshore while paralleling the South Carolina coast starting Wednesday afternoon. But a small error in the forecast could send the eye and strongest winds into the state.

Update 4:30 p.m. EDT Sept. 1: Authorities in the Bahamas are saying they are receiving preliminary reports of heavy damage in areas being pounded by Hurricane Dorian.

Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas’ Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, told reporters there is a huge amount of damage to property and infrastructure from the hurricane crossing the northwest part of the island archipelago. She adds, “It’s devastating” but says that so far, there is “luckily no loss of life reported.”

Video that was described by Jibrilu as being sent by residents from the island of Abaco on Sunday afternoon showed homes with missing chunks of roofing, downed power lines and smashed and overturned cars. One video, she says, showed floodwaters rushing through the streets of an unidentified town at nearly the height of a car’s roof.

At 3 p.m. EDT Sunday, Dorian had top sustained winds of 185 mph with gusts topping 220 mph, according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami.

Update 2:55 p.m. EDT Sept. 1: Dorian made a second landfall at 2 pm EDT The Bahamas' on Great Abaco Island. With sustained winds of 185 mph, the storm ties with the 1935 Labor Day hurricane as the strongest Atlantic hurricane landfall on record, according to the National Hurricane Center.

Update 1:15 p.m. EDT Sept. 1: Historical wind gusts continue as Hurricane Dorian makes landfall at Elbow Cay, in the Abacos Islands of The Bahamas. The National Hurricane Center reported the Cat 5 storm has maximum sustained winds of 185 mph. Wind gusts are 220 mph.

Update 11:40 a.m. EDT Sept. 1: Storm surge and hurricane watch advisories have been placed for parts of Florida's east coast as Hurricane Dorian's maximum sustained winds have increased to 180 mph.

Update 9:40 a.m. EDT Sept. 1: Maximum sustained winds of Hurricane Dorian have increased to 175 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center. The eye wall is approaching The Bahamas' Abaco Islands in a life-threatening situation.

"Residents there should take immediate shelter," the NHC update statement said. "Do not venture into the eye if it passes over your location."

The NHC said the hazards of wind gusts over 200 mph and storm surge 15 to 20 feet above normal tide levels with higher waves "will cause extreme destruction in the affected areas.and will continue for several hours."

Here are the latest updates:

Update 8:05 a.m. EDT Sept. 1: Hurricane Dorian was upgraded to a Category 5 storm early Sunday as the eyewall of the "now catastrophic" system approached the Great Abaco Island in the northwestern Bahamas, according to the 8 a.m. EDT intermediate advisory by the National Hurricane Center.

At 8 a.m., the center of the storm was 35 miles east of the Great Abaco Island and 225 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida. Winds were approaching 160 mph, the NHC said.

A tropical storm warning remains in effect from Deerfield Beach to Sebastian Inlet on Florida's east coast, and a tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions are expected within the next 36 hours.

A tropical storm watch is still in effect Deerfield Beach south to Golden Beach in Miami-Dade County, the NHC said.