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| Hurricane Dorian Could Swamp the Coast From Florida to Virginia: Live Updates | |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Hurricane Dorian, which caused widespread devastation in the Bahamas, was churning on Wednesday off the Florida coast, with residents along hundreds of miles of shoreline warned of its potential for life-threatening storm surge and dangerous winds. | |
| The storm, a Category 2 hurricane, was about 115 miles east-northeast of Jacksonville, Fla., by 2 p.m., the National Hurricane Center said, and was headed north-northwest at about 9 m.p.h. paralleling the coast. | |
| Meteorologists warned residents of shore communities from Port Canaveral, Fla., to the North Carolina-Virginia border that they faced “a danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water” within the next 36 hours, and areas farther north in Virginia could also be affected. In some parts of North and South Carolina, the storm surge could reach 5 to 8 feet. | |
| The storm’s heavy rains — 5 to 10 inches along the Carolina coast, with 15 inches possible in some spots — could also cause dangerous flash floods. | |
| Dorian is expected to continue moving northward off the Florida and Georgia coasts through Wednesday night, and then gradually veer to the northeast. Dorian’s center could be close to the Carolinas from Thursday through Friday morning, the National Hurricane Center said. | |
| Forecasters expect little change in the storm’s strength as it continues its northward roll. By the time it is expected to brush by Wilmington, N.C., early on Friday, forecasters say it will probably still have winds as strong as 90 m.p.h. | |
| The storm is predicted to track close to Charleston, S.C., by Thursday afternoon. Gov. Henry McMaster has issued a mandatory evacuation for all of Charleston County, which has a population of more than 400,000. | |
| About one-third of the 830,000 people ordered to leave coastal counties in South Carolina have already evacuated, Mr. McMaster said Tuesday. | |
| President Trump said on Wednesday that Florida had been “very, very lucky, indeed.” | |
| “Our original chart was that it was going to be hitting Florida directly,” Mr. Trump said in the Oval Office as he held up a forecast map showing an earlier projection of Dorian’s path. “And it took a right turn, and ultimately, hopefully, we’re going to be lucky.” | |
| As Hurricane Dorian pulled away from the Bahamas, relief workers, medical personnel, pilots and others gathered at a private terminal of the Nassau airport on Wednesday amid boxes of supplies, anxiously awaiting permission from the government to fly to devastated areas and provide assistance. | As Hurricane Dorian pulled away from the Bahamas, relief workers, medical personnel, pilots and others gathered at a private terminal of the Nassau airport on Wednesday amid boxes of supplies, anxiously awaiting permission from the government to fly to devastated areas and provide assistance. |
| [Here’s how to help Hurricane Dorian survivors in the Bahamas.] | [Here’s how to help Hurricane Dorian survivors in the Bahamas.] |
| But with most of the runways on the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama — the islands most heavily pummeled by the storm — flooded or covered in sand, it was difficult to deliver help or even assess the damage wrought by the storm. In addition, the government has given priority to helicopter evacuations. | But with most of the runways on the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama — the islands most heavily pummeled by the storm — flooded or covered in sand, it was difficult to deliver help or even assess the damage wrought by the storm. In addition, the government has given priority to helicopter evacuations. |
| “It is frustrating,” said Wes Comfort, director of operations for Heart to Heart International, a Kansas-based group. “There are people who want to help and professionals who know how to help.” | “It is frustrating,” said Wes Comfort, director of operations for Heart to Heart International, a Kansas-based group. “There are people who want to help and professionals who know how to help.” |
| Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on Sunday, then lingered, pummeling the northern islands of the Bahamian archipelago for more than three days. At least seven people have died, including children, government officials said, adding that the toll is expected to rise. | Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 hurricane on Sunday, then lingered, pummeling the northern islands of the Bahamian archipelago for more than three days. At least seven people have died, including children, government officials said, adding that the toll is expected to rise. |
| Despite the limited access to the islands, pilots have conducted flyovers revealing scenes of absolute devastation. Entire neighborhoods were reduced to unrecognizable fields of rubble, houses were crushed into splinters and boats were tossed into heaps like toys. | Despite the limited access to the islands, pilots have conducted flyovers revealing scenes of absolute devastation. Entire neighborhoods were reduced to unrecognizable fields of rubble, houses were crushed into splinters and boats were tossed into heaps like toys. |
| The Bahamian prime minister, Hubert Minnis, was able to go on a reconnaissance mission over Abaco on Tuesday afternoon, though storm conditions still prevented flying over Grand Bahama. | The Bahamian prime minister, Hubert Minnis, was able to go on a reconnaissance mission over Abaco on Tuesday afternoon, though storm conditions still prevented flying over Grand Bahama. |
| “People need mostly food, security and shelter,” Mr. Minnis said in brief comments to reporters when he returned. | “People need mostly food, security and shelter,” Mr. Minnis said in brief comments to reporters when he returned. |
| [Read more about how Hurricane Dorian lashed the Bahamas.] | [Read more about how Hurricane Dorian lashed the Bahamas.] |
| An 85-year-old man fell off a ladder on Wednesday while he was preparing his home for the storm, and died from his injuries, Gov. Roy Cooper announced at a news conference. It was the first reported storm-related fatality in the state. | An 85-year-old man fell off a ladder on Wednesday while he was preparing his home for the storm, and died from his injuries, Gov. Roy Cooper announced at a news conference. It was the first reported storm-related fatality in the state. |
| Governor Cooper asked residents in areas of the state under evacuation orders to leave. “It is not worth putting your life, or the life of first responders at risk,” he said. He and other emergency management officials urged anyone who had not yet finished preparing for the storm to do so immediately. “We will not underestimate the damage this storm can cause,” the governor said at a news conference. | Governor Cooper asked residents in areas of the state under evacuation orders to leave. “It is not worth putting your life, or the life of first responders at risk,” he said. He and other emergency management officials urged anyone who had not yet finished preparing for the storm to do so immediately. “We will not underestimate the damage this storm can cause,” the governor said at a news conference. |
| With the state facing its third hurricane in three years, Mr. Cooper added, “please don’t let familiarity get in the way of good judgment.” | With the state facing its third hurricane in three years, Mr. Cooper added, “please don’t let familiarity get in the way of good judgment.” |
| Jacksonville, tucked into the northeastern corner of Florida where the St. Johns River meets the Atlantic Ocean, suffered flooding downtown during Hurricane Irma two years ago. | |
| Some gauges along the river, which is up to five miles wide in places, showed water levels just below minor flood stage. But the city has been spared any repeat of Irma so far. | |
| Tropical-storm-force winds scattered debris across city’s streets on Wednesday, and there were power losses in the area, affecting about 1,500 customers at 2:30 p.m., according to JEA, the area’s community-owned electric utility company. Officials said that if sustained winds were 40 miles per hour or higher, bridges would close. | |
| And at noon, about one hour before high tide on Jacksonville’s shoreline, a lifeguard saved a woman who was knocked over and pulled into the current. The sheriff’s office then repeated its warning not to go to the beach or waterfront. Lifeguards, however, remained on duty. | |
| Shortly after that rescue, Mayor Lenny Curry said on Twitter that others had to be removed from a beach. | |
| Schools in Duval County, where Jacksonville is located, and several surrounding counties were closed through Thursday. | |
| Dorian is not the only storm that the National Hurricane Center is monitoring. In the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Fernand is pushing northwest at about 6 miles an hour, toward a likely landfall south of the Rio Grande Wednesday night. | Dorian is not the only storm that the National Hurricane Center is monitoring. In the Gulf of Mexico, Tropical Storm Fernand is pushing northwest at about 6 miles an hour, toward a likely landfall south of the Rio Grande Wednesday night. |
| With sustained winds near 50 miles an hour, Fernand is expected to strike hardest in Mexico, but will also bring gusty winds to South Texas and the lower Texas coast, with rainfall totals between 2 and 4 inches through Friday in most areas, according to the forecast. | With sustained winds near 50 miles an hour, Fernand is expected to strike hardest in Mexico, but will also bring gusty winds to South Texas and the lower Texas coast, with rainfall totals between 2 and 4 inches through Friday in most areas, according to the forecast. |
| Far away in the eastern Atlantic is Tropical Storm Gabrielle, the season’s seventh named storm. That one is about 1,300 miles southwest of the Azores, and does not appear at this time to pose a threat to any land, the center said. | Far away in the eastern Atlantic is Tropical Storm Gabrielle, the season’s seventh named storm. That one is about 1,300 miles southwest of the Azores, and does not appear at this time to pose a threat to any land, the center said. |
| September is usually the busiest month of the storm season. | September is usually the busiest month of the storm season. |
| As the outer bands of Hurricane Dorian began lashing the Florida coast on Tuesday, a woman raced to pick up her mother-in-law at a retirement community, where the elevator was about to be shut down. The staff of a nursing home packed up more than 200 residents, as well as the supplies they might need: cases of water, air mattresses and board games. At another center, residents were evacuated in specialty ambulances, rented motor coaches and private vehicles. | As the outer bands of Hurricane Dorian began lashing the Florida coast on Tuesday, a woman raced to pick up her mother-in-law at a retirement community, where the elevator was about to be shut down. The staff of a nursing home packed up more than 200 residents, as well as the supplies they might need: cases of water, air mattresses and board games. At another center, residents were evacuated in specialty ambulances, rented motor coaches and private vehicles. |
| Across the state, a scramble was underway to move older Floridians to safer ground as a weakened but still dangerous Hurricane Dorian threatened the state’s Atlantic coast. | Across the state, a scramble was underway to move older Floridians to safer ground as a weakened but still dangerous Hurricane Dorian threatened the state’s Atlantic coast. |
| The last major storm to hit the state was foremost in officials’ minds. When Hurricane Irma came ashore two years ago, a dozen patients died after a nursing home in Hollywood, Fla., lost air-conditioning. The tragedy prompted new regulations and an acknowledgment that evacuation orders were not enough to protect the state’s large older population. No state has more retirees than Florida, where they make up one-fifth of the population, according to the AARP. | The last major storm to hit the state was foremost in officials’ minds. When Hurricane Irma came ashore two years ago, a dozen patients died after a nursing home in Hollywood, Fla., lost air-conditioning. The tragedy prompted new regulations and an acknowledgment that evacuation orders were not enough to protect the state’s large older population. No state has more retirees than Florida, where they make up one-fifth of the population, according to the AARP. |
| [Read more about how Florida has prepared its older residents for Hurricane Dorian.] | [Read more about how Florida has prepared its older residents for Hurricane Dorian.] |
| A new state law requires backup generators and enough fuel to maintain comfortable temperatures at nursing homes and assisted living centers, a mandate first tested last year, when Hurricane Michael struck the Florida Panhandle. Last week, four nursing home workers were charged in the Hurricane Irma deaths, which were ruled homicides. | A new state law requires backup generators and enough fuel to maintain comfortable temperatures at nursing homes and assisted living centers, a mandate first tested last year, when Hurricane Michael struck the Florida Panhandle. Last week, four nursing home workers were charged in the Hurricane Irma deaths, which were ruled homicides. |
| Some 190,000 people live in Florida nursing homes and assisted living centers, most of them in the state’s southeastern tip. Patrick Manderfield, a spokesman for the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration, said on Monday that all but 42 of the state’s 3,062 licensed assisted living centers had an on-site generator. Five centers had emergency plans to evacuate “if needed,” he said in an email. | Some 190,000 people live in Florida nursing homes and assisted living centers, most of them in the state’s southeastern tip. Patrick Manderfield, a spokesman for the state’s Agency for Health Care Administration, said on Monday that all but 42 of the state’s 3,062 licensed assisted living centers had an on-site generator. Five centers had emergency plans to evacuate “if needed,” he said in an email. |
| Nursing homes, which tend to be larger and have more beds than assisted living centers, are a different story. Reuters reported on Friday that some nursing homes were still waiting for temporary generators, though a state website suggested that they might have all been supplied by Monday afternoon. The Miami Herald reported last week that nearly 60 percent of the state’s 687 nursing homes did not yet have enough power backup. | Nursing homes, which tend to be larger and have more beds than assisted living centers, are a different story. Reuters reported on Friday that some nursing homes were still waiting for temporary generators, though a state website suggested that they might have all been supplied by Monday afternoon. The Miami Herald reported last week that nearly 60 percent of the state’s 687 nursing homes did not yet have enough power backup. |
| As Hurricane Dorian, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, continues to approach the United States mainland, millions of people who may be in its path are watching — and worrying. We asked readers what they want to know about Dorian. Answering those questions is Prof. Adam Sobel, an atmospheric scientist and director of the Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate at Columbia University. | As Hurricane Dorian, one of the strongest storms ever recorded in the Atlantic, continues to approach the United States mainland, millions of people who may be in its path are watching — and worrying. We asked readers what they want to know about Dorian. Answering those questions is Prof. Adam Sobel, an atmospheric scientist and director of the Initiative on Extreme Weather and Climate at Columbia University. |
| The motion of hurricanes is determined mainly by what meteorologists call the “steering flow,” or “environmental flow,” meaning the winds on a larger scale, excluding the swirling circulation of the hurricane itself. Think of the storm as a swirl you make in a river with a canoe paddle: It has its own little circulation, but the whole thing drifts with the river current on the larger scale. The environmental flow can vary in both speed and direction at different altitudes; the storm follows the low-level winds most, but the winds higher up also have an influence. | The motion of hurricanes is determined mainly by what meteorologists call the “steering flow,” or “environmental flow,” meaning the winds on a larger scale, excluding the swirling circulation of the hurricane itself. Think of the storm as a swirl you make in a river with a canoe paddle: It has its own little circulation, but the whole thing drifts with the river current on the larger scale. The environmental flow can vary in both speed and direction at different altitudes; the storm follows the low-level winds most, but the winds higher up also have an influence. |
| If left to itself, a hurricane would drift slowly toward the North or South Pole, depending on which hemisphere it is in. But the steering flows rarely leave a hurricane to itself. A hurricane turns when it encounters a steering flow that blows in a different direction than the storm was being driven before. | If left to itself, a hurricane would drift slowly toward the North or South Pole, depending on which hemisphere it is in. But the steering flows rarely leave a hurricane to itself. A hurricane turns when it encounters a steering flow that blows in a different direction than the storm was being driven before. |
| [Read more questions and answers about Hurricane Dorian.] | [Read more questions and answers about Hurricane Dorian.] |
| Reporting was contributed by Richard Fausset, Kirk Semple, Rachel Knowles, Frances Robles, Elisabeth Malkin and Adeel Hassan. | Reporting was contributed by Richard Fausset, Kirk Semple, Rachel Knowles, Frances Robles, Elisabeth Malkin and Adeel Hassan. |