Hurricane Dorian will likely avoid landfall in Florida, but that does not mean residents of the Sunshine State or anywhere else along southeastern U.S. coast can relax.
Forecasters say Dorian is getting bigger and will move “dangerously close” to Florida and Georgia Tuesday through Wednesday night, then threaten North and South Carolina with massive rainfall and powerful winds.
The lack of wind currents in the atmosphere kept Dorian parked on top of Abaco and Grand Bahama Island for two days as a Category 4. It was the strongest storm ever to strike the Bahamas.
Initial reports say more than 13,000 homes were destroyed.
The runways at the Grand Bahama international airport are under water, making rescue efforts complicated.
Five deaths have been reported. But Lia Head-Rigby, who runs a hurricane relief organization on Abaco said bodies are being gathered.
She said it is no longer a question of rebuilding on Abaco; it is time to start over.