Residents fill up sandbags with the last bits of sand available in preparation for Hurricane Dorian, Friday, August 30, 2019, in Hallandale Beach, Florida.
But authorities warned even if its core did not make US landfall and stayed offshore, the potent Category 4 storm would likely hammer US coastal areas with powerful winds and heavy surf.Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis warned that Dorian is a "dangerous storm" and said any "who do not evacuate are placing themselves in extreme danger and can expect a catastrophic consequence.
Over two or three days, the slow-moving hurricane could dump as much as 4 feet of rain, unleash devastating winds and whip up a dangerous storm surge, said private meteorologist Ryan Maue, seconding some of the most reliable computer models. "It's almost as if you wait with anticipation, hoping that it's never as bad as they say it will be. However, you prepare for the worst nonetheless," he said.
Risks are higher in poorer communities, which typically have wooden homes and are generally in lower-lying areas.