Dorian fast facts
- Relief efforts intensified in the northern Bahamas, which were decimated by then-Category 5 Hurricane Dorian for 48 hours, leaving an estimated 70,000 people homeless.
- The Bahamas death toll rose to 45 and was expected to keep climbing. Thousands remained unaccounted for.
- Dorian made landfall Saturday evening in Nova Scotia as a post-tropical cyclone and still had hurricane-force winds.
- Hundreds of thousands of homes and businesses lost power in Canada; it may take days to restore service.
The U.S. National Hurricane Center declared what was Hurricane Dorian “fully extra-tropical” in what the center said would be its last advisory on the storm.
As of 11 p.m. EDT Sunday, the center said Dorian’s core was “over the cold waters of the Labrador Sea” off Canada. It was about 375 miles north of Cape Race, Newfoundland, racing east-northeast at 24 mph with tropical storm-force winds of 60 mph. It was expected to keep weakening and be absorbed by a larger low pressure system Tuesday.
Dorian became a hurricane August 28, hit the Virgin Islands, brought catastrophic damage to the northern Bahamas, then briefly made landfall over North Carolina’s Outer Banks as it moved up the U.S. seaboard on its way to Canada. Floodwaters have receded in the Outer Banks, revealing a muddy trail of damage.
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The storm lashed far-eastern Canada with hurricane-force winds for much of Sunday, leaving hundreds of thousands of customers without power.
Follow live coverage of the storm below.
Bahamas relief and evacuation efforts intensify
By far the greatest devastation caused by the storm was in the northern Bahamas, where Dorian “planted itself,” as the U.S. National Hurricane Center put it, for 48 hours as a monster Category 5 hurricane. It obliterated everything in its path, including thousands of homes, and left some 70,000 people homeless.
“Planes, cruise ships and yachts were evacuating people from the Abaco Islands and officials were trying to reach areas still isolated by flooding and debris,” The Associated Press said. Grand Bahama Island was also routed.
Shelters and temporary housing were being set up for the homeless and government officials were urging residents to take in their fellow Bahamians.
Outer Banks’ Ocracoke Island recovering
Dorian’s worst damage in the U.S. appeared to be on Ocracoke Island, which even in good weather is accessible only by boat or air and is popular with tourists for its undeveloped beaches.
Residents who waited out the storm described strong winds followed by a wall of water that flooded the first floors of many homes and forced some to await rescue from their attics. “We’re used to cleaning up dead limbs and trash that’s floating around,” said Ocracoke business owner Philip Howard said Saturday. “But now it’s everything: picnic tables, doors, lumber that’s been floating around.”
Gov. Roy Cooper said about 800 people had remained on the island to wait out Dorian, which made landfall Friday morning over the Outer Banks as a far weaker storm than the monster that devastated the Bahamas.
The governor said officials were aware of no serious injuries on the Outer Banks from the storm. About 200 people were in shelters and 45,000 without power Saturday, according to the governor’s office. Emergency officials transported fuel trucks, generators, food and water to Okracoke.
— The Associated Press
More cruise ships, airlines send aid to Bahamas
The Celebrity Equinox cruise ship sent around 10,000 meals and additional aid to the Bahamas as part of ongoing relief efforts as the country grapples with the aftermath of Dorian.
According to a Delta Airlines press release, the airline sent a flight filled with “4,700 pounds of critical supplies… including non-perishable food, water, diapers, formula, underwear and socks for survivors.”
“Once supplies were unloaded, the flight departed for Nassau with 59 evacuees,” Delta noted.
Dorian loses hurricane-force winds
Dorian continued to weaken, losing its hurricane-force winds. It is now considered a post-tropical cyclone, with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph. “Dorian will continue to have significant impacts in portions of eastern Canada tonight,” the National Hurricane Center noted in a release on Sunday:
“Dangerous storm surge impacts are likely in portions of the northeastern Gulf of St. Lawrence and western Newfoundland. Tropical-storm-force should continue over portions of Newfoundland.”
FAA issues temporary flight restrictions for Bahamas
A temporary flight restriction has been issued for Bahamian airspace, according to the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration.
“At the request of the Bahamian Government, the FAA has issued a Temporary Flight Restriction for U.S. aircraft and pilots entering Bahamian airspace in Hurricane Dorian affected areas in order to reserve airspace for search and rescue and humanitarian assistance,” the FAA said in a statement.
Power outages hit Nova Scotia
Dorian made landfall near Sambo Creak, Nova Scotia Saturday evening, about 15 miles south of Halifax. The storm brought maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and plunged parts of Nova Scotia into darkness.
Initially, Nova Scotia Power Inc. reported more than 300,000 customers were without power in parts of Halifax, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. A National Hurricane Center update revised that number up to half a million.
CEO Karen Hutt told The Associated Press that 1,000 workers were at the ready to restore power once conditions became safe enough to do so. It could take days before power is fully restored.
Bahamas grapples with Dorian
The humanitarian crisis in the Bahamas is growing increasingly dire almost a week after Hurricane Dorian made landfall. The death toll now stands at 43 and is expected to significantly rise.
Food, water and other supplies are rapidly running out.
More than 1,000 people evacuated from the Caribbean nation arrived on a cruise ship in Florida on Saturday, reports Errol Barnett.
He noted that CBS News also witnessed long lines outside Freeport banks and grocery stores as residents attempt to return to normalcy. One resident said it could take a couple of years before he’d be fully recovered.
CBS News also came across an Equinor Oil complex that was battered by the storm. In a statement, Equinor Oil said it is safe-guarding the environment and has “not identified any oil on beaches and we have not observed leakage of oil from our terminal to the sea.”
However, widespread contamination appears to be evident. It’s just one more aspect of recovery for the bahamian government to address.
— Errol Barnett
North Carolina assess Dorian damage
North Carolina is sending aid to its Outer Banks. This weekend, help is coming from the air — helicopters rescued people from their waterlogged homes — and from the sea, where ferry service is bringing food, water and other supples to residents cut off from the mainland.
Despite a mandatory evacuation order for Ocracoke Island, an estimated 800 people were still in their homes Friday when the Category 1 storm slammed into the tiny barrier island. Search and rescue teams went door to door, sometimes by boat, to check on residents looking for help.
Elsewhere in North Carolina, Dorian damaged parts of the main highway on the Outer Banks. Several sections of the road were buckled by the waves. State officials say it could take weeks to fix the roads. Flooded roads and downed power lines also made getting around a problem.
Wind gusts over 70 miles per hour damaged trees and some homes, leaving residents to pick up after Dorian.
— Omar Villafranca
North Carolina governor confirms 2nd Hurricane death
North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper confirmed during a press conference on Saturday that another person was found dead in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. At least two people have died in North Carolina.
Cooper described the second victim as a 67-year-old man from Pamlico County. The man reportedly fell from a ladder while preparing for the storm.
Cooper toured multiple regions impacted by the storm, including Ocracoke Island and Emerald Isle.
“Overall this could have been much worse for our state,” Cooper admitted. “The people who did get significant wind damage — this is a bad situation for them but in North Carolina, we are going to pull together and we are going to work to … get back to normal as soon as possible.”
Coast Guard rescues 290 in the Bahamas
The U.S. Coast Guard said it has rescued at least 290 people in the Bahamas since the hurricane devastated the string of islands this week. Six MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters conducted search and rescue operations and provided logistical support.
Last week, “CBS Evening News” flew with the Coast Guard’ over the islands hit hardest by the hurricane.
“Our primary mission is search and rescue. We can suffer some casualty to the plane to save a life but our primary mission is to save a life,” Lieutenant Julianna White told CBS News.
The Coast Guard Air Station Miami is no stranger to these missions. In 2005, they rescued nearly 800 people following Hurricane Katrina. Lieutenant Jillian Harner said even one rescue makes all the hard work worth it.
“It’s definitely an honor. You have one case of rescues, it’s the best feeling. It makes the training you’ve done worth it,” Harner said.
Cruise ship evacuates 1,500 in Bahamas
The Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line helped evacuate more than 1,500 people from Grand Bahama island. The cruise ship brought evacuees to West Palm Beach, Florida.
“Every donation we’ve received so far has significantly helped in our mission to bring relief and aid to our brothers and sisters on Grand Bahama Island — our beloved second home. Together with first responders and volunteers, we were able to provide Bahamian residents with food, water, personal hygiene products, medical equipment, generators, and other desperately-needed supplies.”
”Catastrophic” flooding in North Carolina
Video taken by sheriffs deputies shows an overhead view of the destruction left by Dorian as the storm passed through coastal North Carolina.
Thelma Horner, 95, nearly lost part of her home when wind gusts ripped an 80 foot tree out of the ground.
“I’m glad that it’s in the street and not in the yard,” she said.
Heavy winds on the Outer Banks ripped siding off of homes and snapped telephone poles in half. rough surf from dorian washed away a third of this long-standing pier.
First responders are conducting rescue missions in the heavily flooded Ocracoke Island. An estimated 800 residents defied evacuation orders for the island, which is only accessible by air or boat.
Governor Roy Cooper described the flooding as catastrophic. “Currently, the island has no electricity and many of the homes are still under water,” Cooper said in a news conference.
Officials in New Jersey and New York have banned swimming and surfing at their beaches while Dorian makes its way to Canada. The National Weather Service predicts ocean swells as large as 10 feet,.but some locals are not as worried.
76,000 people in need of aid in Bahamas
“CBS Evening News” landed at what’s now a shelter for survivors who have been waiting in terminal seats for days. Most are now homeless. Maxine Ferguson and her two teenage sons have been sleeping on a makeshift bed. “Abaco has always been my home,” she said.
Her home was 15 miles away. The hotel where she works is gone, too.
“If there’s nothing here, we can’t work, we can’t make money. We can’t pay bills, we can’t do nothing. I would love to come back, it hurts me to leave. But my kids,” Ferguson said.
As they wait, a group of Abacos residents wait lined up. There are 76,000 people who need aid, including survivors with medical needs, pregnant women and children are a priority to evacuate.
A few hours after CBS News met Ferguson, she was told a plane was coming for her. She wants to get to Nassau where she has family. But she said, like so many in the Bahamas, she has no home insurance and no means to rebuild.
— Nikki Battiste reports from Nassau
”There’s nothing I could save”
CBS News saw long lines of people waiting for food and water on Grand Bahama island Friday. The crew also witnessed the devastation left behind by Dorian.
For Kenneth Knowles and his family, taking an overnight ferry home to Freeport was bittersweet. “We did suffer catastrophic damage at our business so we’re now going home to try to see what’s there,” he said.
They were aboard a vessel carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid to those hardest hit by the storm. As soon as CBS News arrived and ventured through Freeport, there were people lined up for hours in hopes of getting ice and water.
Brenda Suberallen rode out the storm in Freeport and came back to her uprooted home to salvage what she could. “There’s nothing I could save really, not a thing,” she said.
The further east, the worse it gets. Then, the only highway across the island, ends. The main highway out of Freeport has been completely devastated. A lot of people left their vehicles behind on the side of the road. That’s one reason why it’s so challenging to get aid through the country.
Keeno Lettice and his father are trying to make contact with friends they haven’t spoken with since the storm. But seeing the state of the road, they turned back.
— Errol Barnett reports from Grand Bahama island
Crews rescue stranded residents in North Carolina
A rescue is underway along the coast of North Carolina. Hundreds who refused to evacuate Ocracoke Island were stranded when Dorian slammed into the Outer Banks Friday morning.
Late Friday afternoon, the first chopper took off for Ocracoke once winds subsided to rescue the nearly 800 people trapped there. Dorian’s howling winds, torrents of rain and surging seas caught many of the hurricane hardened residents of the island by surprise.
“All of this has happened in a few minutes. It’s coming into the house. It’s coming in under the door,” one homeowner said.
People who defied a mandatory evacuation order got caught in a storm surge of up to seven feet and were forced to higher ground.
“The water levels rose so quickly literally I would say within 30 minutes we had four feet of water and it kept rising,” said Benny Lacks.
Those who were able to, left by boat.
— Omar Villafranca
Officials urged to “show your faces” in the Bahamas
A volunteer firefighter in the Bahamas called on government officials to come to the remote islands hit by Dorian. “People are getting violent, angry, upset, and we’re trying to get our government officials- if you guys do see this, please come down here and show your faces,” Greg Johnson told CBS News on Treasure Cay.
“We need you guys to show your faces here, so the people can understand and know that you guys care,” Johnson said. “At this point in time, we are on our own, and the U.S. is the only place that is helping us.”
Renowned chef José Andrés has been delivering food to people through his nonprofit organization, World Central Kitchen. Andrés told CBS News he asked Bahamian authorities where they’d like him to go, and he didn’t receive a response.
—David Begnaud
Chef José Andrés is bringing thousands of meals to the Bahamas
Chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen delivers meals after natural disasters, has taken his mission to a remote island cut off by Hurricane Dorian. CBS News went with Andrés to Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas.
Andres took off from Nassau with a helicopter full of so much water and food that some of it was in his lap.
“We are going to deliver 7,400 meals. But for me, this is half of what we are supposed to be doing already,” he said.
When he landed in Green Turtle Cay, people were waiting. On the island of just 550 people, it looked as though most every structure was damaged or destroyed. People said they have no power, and they need help.
From there, Andrés headed for Treasure Cay. A woman at the community center told the chef what they need for the community of roughly 1,500 people. “What we need is pasta, pasta sauce, can goods, rice, grits, shelf stable,” she said.
— David Begnaud
”I should have been dead”: Survivors face uncertain future in Bahamas
Neighborhoods have been destroyed after Dorian’s 185 mph winds tore through the Bahamas. Some people are just learning the fate of their loved ones.
“Glad to be alive. This is the second time in my life I should have been dead,” said Doug, a 75-year-old man who did not want to give his last name.
He told “CBS Evening News” a harrowing story of survival after his home, a boat, was swept away, leaving him in debris-filled water. He was rescued from Abaco Island Wednesday and flown to Princess Margaret Hospital, just in time, he said, to save his legs from amputation.
“I believe in God,” he said.
About 13 miles from the hospital, helicopters continue to fly in survivors, like 1-year-old Reign and her mother, Ostina Dean.
“What kept me going was the child, that was it. I looked at her and I was like no, my baby’s not going out like this,” Dean said.
Her entire family was rescued from Abaco Island on Thursday, including 11-year-old Zion. His young eyes witnessed far more than any child should ever have to.
“My heart just stop like it… I was panicking. I opened my eyes wide. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing,” he said.
— Nikki Battiste
