Hurricane Dorian: Florida forecast to get Category 4 Labor Day storm
Hurricane Dorian was on track to become a major hurricane Friday before its forecasted landfall Monday along Florida's east coast, forecasters say. How To Get A Home Loan With 5% Deposit Find out more on Finder Ad Finder.com.au The storm was slowly turning west on Friday as it makes it way back toward land and is expected to strengthen in the coming days, the National Hurricane Center said. Dorian is then forecast slam the southeastern United States as a possible Category 4 storm.
Hurricane Dorian is slowing to a crawl as it approaches the Bahamas, where it is forecast to remain until it takes a sharp swerve north along Florida’s eastern coast sometime on Monday. The Category 4 storm could make landfall in Georgia or the Carolinas as late as Thursday after losing some of its
As Hurricane Dorian struck the northwestern Bahamas on Sunday, the National Hurricane Center said that the maximum sustained winds around the eye of the “extremely dangerous” storm had reached 185 miles an hour, making it a “catastrophic” storm with “devastating winds.”
Video provided by Reuters
The storm is forecast to slam the Bahamas and then turn north.
Hurricane Dorian is slowing to a crawl as it approaches the Bahamas, where it is forecast to remain until it takes a sharp swerve north along Florida’s eastern coast sometime on Monday. The Category 4 storm could make landfall in Georgia or the Carolinas as late as Thursday after losing some of its strength.
It was good news for Floridians, who could now be spared a direct hit. But the powerful storm is still dangerous, and much of the state remains in the area that forecasters believe could be assailed by heavy winds, rain and storm surge.
Hurricane Dorian triggers massive flooding across Bahamas
Hurricane Dorian struck the northern Bahamas as a catastrophic Category 5 storm Sunday, its record 185 mph (297 kph) winds ripping off roofs, overturning cars and tearing down power lines as hundreds hunkered down in schools, churches and shelters.
What we know about Dorian , which is expected to become a bigger threat as it heads toward Florida, possibly as a Category 4 hurricane . It is in that kind of environment that Hurricane Dorian , at Category 2 late Thursday, is expected to gain considerable strength as it heads northwest, with the
Hurricane Dorian is forecast to grow into a major storm over Labor Day weekend before landing in Florida. Follow here for the latest. Hurricane Dorian : The storm is heading northwest in the Atlantic after drenching Puerto Rico and the British and US Virgin Islands.
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A stretch of Florida’s Atlantic coast from Deerfield Beach to the Sebastian Inlet was placed under a tropical storm watch on Saturday afternoon, indicating the possibility of strong winds in the next 48 hours.
Dorian was about 355 miles east of West Palm Beach, Fla., on Saturday, sustaining winds of about 150 miles per hour. It was upgraded to a Category 4 system late on Friday, and as of Saturday afternoon was approaching Category 5 speeds (over 156 m.p.h.).
Forecasters have had to adjust both when and where Dorian may crash into the mainland United States several times in the past few days, baffling officials and residents trying to make preparations.
Hurricane Dorian death toll rises to 7 in one of Bahamas' 'greatest national crises,' PM says
The Bahamas prime minister raised the death toll from Hurricane Dorian on Tuesday from five to seven and said more deaths were expected as the storm begins to move away from the Caribbean islands.
Forecasters warn Dorian could be the region's worst storm since category five Hurricane Andrew Hurricanes , whose strength can range from category 1 to 5 on the Saffir-Simpson scale, tend to By the middle of next week, forecasters expect Dorian to shift eastwards, putting the coasts of Georgia
Aug. 30, 2019: We're keeping our eyes on Hurricane Dorian , which has gained strength into a Category 2 storm . WKYC's Hollie Strano has the latest updated on
The storm was advancing very slowly, at about 8 m.p.h., which could be especially damaging to the Bahamas, said Ken Graham, the director of the National Hurricane Center in Miami. The storm is forecast to sit on top of the archipelago starting on Sunday, dumping copious amounts of rain.
“This is becoming a long-duration nail-biter for folks along the southeastern United States,” said David Bibo, deputy associate administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s office of response and recovery.
There was a silver lining, however: The storm’s slow pace will give people more time to get ready for a possible hit, Mr. Bibo said. — Patricia Mazzei
Dorian is expected to hit the northwestern Bahamas on Sunday.
In the Bahamas, residents of the archipelago’s northwestern islands braced for a direct hit from Dorian as the government ordered the evacuation of low-lying areas.
'Queen is left 'shocked and saddened' by devastation left by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, as she shares touching message to those caught up in the chaos'
The Queen (pictured) has said both herself and Prince Philip are 'shocked and saddened' by the chaos which has struck the Bahamas following Hurricane Dorian
Hurricane Dorian is moving away from North Carolina and Virginia. The storm passed over North Carolina's Outer Banks at 8:35 a.m. ET on Friday. Hurricane Dorian updates : After making landfall in North Carolina, the storm is moving up the coast.
Hurricane Dorian continues to take its time making its way to the Florida coast. It's expected to make impact as a Category 5. ► Hurricane Dorian updates
Grand Bahama Island and the Abaco Islands were expected to take the brunt of the storm on Sunday. The National Hurricane Center warned that because the storm’s movement had slowed, the area should prepare for “a prolonged period of life-threatening storm surge and devastating hurricane force winds.”
The surge could be over 15 feet high, and exacerbated by the spring tide, Bahamian officials said.
“The hurricane will produce catastrophic results,” Captain Stephen Russell, director of the Bahamas’ National Emergency Management Agency, said at a news conference on Friday.
The area lying in Dorian’s path is not a major center for tourism, although several cruise ships diverted their routes to avoid the storm. The few hotels in the region are largely closed for the low season. — Elisabeth Malkin
In South Carolina, the new forecasts were an unwelcome surprise.
Residents and visitors in Charleston, S.C., woke up on Saturday to a newly shifted storm track and a potential direct hit by midweek. Gov. Henry McMaster declared a state of emergency by noon. Similar declarations have been issued for coastal Georgia and North Carolina, though evacuations have not yet been ordered.
Death Toll Rises to 23 in Bahamas, as Stories of Survival Emerge
Days after Hurricane Dorian, one of the strongest Atlantic storms on record, bore down on the Bahamas, a fuller picture from the ground has emerged, and with it, harrowing stories of survival.
“Given the strength and unpredictability of the storm, we must prepare for every possible scenario,” Governor McMaster said in a statement. “There is no reason for delay.”
Deeming all existing laws discriminatory, the Constitutional Court of Austria legalized marriage between same-sex couples. In doing so, Austria joined several other European nations such as Germany, France and Spain. Prior to this, same-sex couples in the country were only allowed to enter legal partnerships but not get married.
(Pictured) Revelers participate in the EuroPride event in Vienna, Austria, on June 15.
In December 2018, Qatar’s Minister of Energy Saad Sherida al-Kaabi announced that the nation would withdraw from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), claiming that the move represents a “technical and strategic” change. The country made the decision after analyzing ways to make its international standing better. The withdrawal came into effect on the first day of 2019, bringing an end to over 50 years of membership.
Jan. 3: China accomplishes first landing on the far side of moon
China became the first nation in the world to safely and successfully land a spacecraft on the far side of the moon. The side of the moon never faces Earth, so any mission would require a relay satellite. China’s Queqiao relay satellite helped the Chang’e-4 probe land at the Von Kármán crater. The mission aims to study the age and composition of the region and getting more information about the early solar system and Earth.
Hurricane Dorian: WWII plane to fly to Bahamas to aid survivors
Volunteers will load up to 5,000 pounds of hurricane relief supplies aboard the warbird, which will take off for Sandy Point on Great Abaco Island. "There's a real need to service the people that have been devastated. And we have a viable aircraft. We have volunteer pilots who are willing to make the trip," Daniels said. "So we feel very strongly about helping those that can't help themselves at the moment. Hopefully, we'll make two round trips (Saturday), depending on weather," he said.
(Pictured) The Yutu-2 rover is photographed by Chang'e-4 on the moon.
A dam at the Córrego do Feijão iron ore mine ruptured near the municipality of Brumadinho, letting loose a massive mudflow which destroyed the mine offices during lunchtime, along with several houses, roads and farms. Around three months later, the Civil Police of Minas Gerais posted a final death tally of 237, with 33 missing.
Adding to the trade tension between the two countries, the U.S. filed 23 charges against Chinese telecom company Huawei and its Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou. The charges included theft of technology, obstruction of justice and bank fraud. U.S. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross (pictured) said, “For years, Chinese firms have broken our export laws and undermined sanctions, often using US financial systems to facilitate their illegal activities. This will end.” Huawei rejected the charges in a statement, saying it didn't commit "any of the asserted violations" and that it "is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng."
Pope Francis became the first in history to visit the Arabian Peninsula after arriving in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The purpose of the visit was to participate in a conference on Christian-Muslim relations and hold a huge mass at the Abu Dhabi sports arena for the Catholic community there.
Hurricane Dorian: Hundreds flee as conditions are 'rapidly deteriorating'
Conditions in the Bahamas are "rapidly deteriorating" six days after Hurricane Dorian ripped through the islands. Tens of thousands of people are homeless and it is estimated that around $3bn (£2.4bn) in insured property has been damaged in the Caribbean. The official number of dead - 43 - is expected to rise as the situation becomes clearer. The US Coast Guard says it has rescued 290 people in the Bahamas.
Bringing an end to a decades-long dispute with Greece and taking a step forward for integration into NATO and the European Union, the Republic of Macedonia officially changed its name to Republic of North Macedonia. According to state spokesman Mile Boshnjakovski, the national language would still be called "Macedonian."
Feb. 14: Suicide attack kills Indian security forces, sparks conflict with Pakistan
Forty Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel were killed as an explosives-laden vehicle rammed into their bus in the district of Pulwama, India. India blamed Pakistan for the attack, and in the fallout, the Indian Air Force reportedly bombed a terrorist training camp in Pakistan on Feb. 26. The two countries came close to war before tensions de-escalated.
The iconic fashion designer, who was the creative director for Chanel, died at the age of 85 in Paris, France. Lagerfeld, who is credited for reinventing the Chanel and Fendi brands, had been keeping unwell for several weeks.
March 5: Stem cell transplant makes patient’s HIV 'undetectable'
In only the second case of its kind, a stem cell transplant made a London patient’s HIV “undetectable.” Doctors reported that he was in remission for 18 months and had stopped taking HIV drugs. Although experts suggest that it’s too early to say that he was completely cured of HIV, but this marks a step closer to finding a cure.
March 10: Ethiopian Airlines plane crash kills 157
The Nairobi-bound Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 crashed near the town of Bishoftu, Ethiopia, after taking off from Addis Ababa Bole International Airport. All 157 people onboard lost their lives and the crash resembled that of a Lion Air plane in October 2018. Both aircraft were Boeing 737 MAX 8 models, sparking a global debate about its safety and resulting in the grounding of the model by carriers and regulators around the globe.
Dorian lashes east Canada, then weakens heading out to sea
The storm that already walloped the Virgin Islands, Bahamas and North Carolina lashed at far-eastern Canada with hurricane-force winds for much of Sunday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people before weakening and heading into the North Atlantic.
(Pictured) An investigator with the U.S. National Transportation and Safety Board explores the crash site.
March 14: Cyclone Idai makes landfall in Mozambique
Over 1,000 people lost their lives after the Category 3 cyclone made landfall in Mozambique, wreaking havoc in the country along with neighboring Zimbabwe and Malawi. It resulted in heavy rains and flooding of rivers, which inundated entire villages. According to estimates by the World Bank, the affected countries faced financial damages of over $2 billion.
At least 50 people were killed and 50 more wounded after a gunman opened fire at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch. The assailant, later identified as Australian citizen Brenton Harrison Tarrant, was arrested and charged with murder. Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern described the attacks as "one of New Zealand's darkest days," and the country passed a sweeping ban on semi-automatics and assault rifles six days later.
(Pictured) Ardern hugs a mourner in Wellington on March 17.
April 10: First-ever image of black hole is unveiled
Captured by the Event Horizon Telescope, the first ever image of a black hole was released on this day. Located in the Messier 87 galaxy, the black hole is 500 million trillion km away from Earth and nearly three million times the size of our planet.
After seven years of taking refuge in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London, England, the WikiLeaks co-founder was arrested after he was found guilty of failing to surrender to the court. He also faces federal conspiracy charges in the U.S. for leaks of government secrets. Presently, extradition hearings are going on against Assange in the British courts.
A fire broke out at the 850-year-old cathedral of Notre Dame in Paris, France, causing heavy damage to the iconic structure. A large part of the roof and its spire was destroyed in the blaze. Officials suggested that the fire may have been ignited by ongoing renovation work at the gothic landmark.
April 21: Serial bomb blasts rattle Sri Lankan capital
On Easter Sunday, a series of bomb blasts at churches, hotels and a housing complex in and around Colombo killed more than 250 people and wounded hundreds others. An island-wide curfew was imposed until the next day. On April 23, the Islamic State militant outfit claimed responsibility for the attacks.
April 21: Comedian Volodymyr Zelensky is elected Ukraine president
In a runoff election, Ukrainian comedian and Servant of the People party’s Volodymyr Zelensky scored a landslide victory to become the sixth president of the nation. He defeated incumbent Petro Poroshenko, taking more than 73 percent of the votes.
North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong Un visited Russia for a summit with President Vladimir Putin and other leaders of the nation. Putin said that Kim “talked freely on all issues that were on the agenda,” adding that the North Korean leader needs international security guarantees in exchange for ending the country’s nuclear program. The meeting came after talks between the U.S. and North Korea broke down in February.
April 30: Uprising against Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro
Nicolás Maduro’s re-election to a second term in May 2018 was met with flak amid claims of vote-rigging and opposition boycott. In January 2019, Popular Will party leader Juan Guaidó (pictured) declared himself interim president, gaining support from the citizens as well as winning recognition from over 50 nations. On April 30, he led an uprising called “Operation Freedom” to oust Maduro's regime. At least four people were reportedly killed in the ensuing clashes.
April 30: First abdication by a Japanese monarch in two centuries
The first Japanese monarch to abdicate in 200 years, Emperor Akihito stepped down from the Chrysanthemum Throne, marking the end of the Heisei era. A day later, his son Naruhito ascended the throne, ushering in the Reiwa era.
In a surprise ceremony, Thailand King Maha Vajiralongkorn married the deputy head of his personal security unit. A royal statement said: the king "has decided to promote General Suthida Vajiralongkorn Na Ayudhya, his royal consort, to become Queen Suthida and she will hold royal title and status as part of the royal family."
May 6: 'Avengers: Endgame' becomes fastest to reach $2B mark
Within just the second weekend of its release, “Avengers: Endgame” became the fastest to cross $2 billion in global collections. It toppled the collection of “Titanic” (1997), which stands at $2.18 billion, in 11 days. The collection of “Endgame” in the last week of June was $2.75 billion and the only film that surpasses it is “Avatar” (2009), with a worldwide collection of $2.78 billion.
(L-R) Marvel Studios president Kevin Feige, actors Chris Hemsworth, Chris Evans. Robert Downey Jr., Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner and Mark Ruffalo at a Hand and Footprint Ceremony at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, California, U.S., on April 23.
*Collection figures from BoxOfficeMojo and correct as of June 27.
Taiwan became the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex marriage. A constitutional court had already ruled the same in 2017 and the parliament was given a two-year deadline to pass the changes.
The three-time Formula One world champion from Austria died at the age of 70, after undergoing a lung transplant eight months back. "With deep sadness, we announce that our beloved Niki has peacefully passed away with his family on Monday,” his family said in a statement released by an Austrian press agency. Lauda won the F1 title in 1975, 1977 and 1984.
May 23: Narendra Modi’s landslide win in Indian general elections
In an election that saw as many as 900 million citizens casting their votes, incumbent Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attained a landslide victory, winning 303 out of 543 seats. The substantial win confirmed a second term for Modi as the country’s prime minister.
(Pictured) Modi takes oath at the swearing-in ceremony in New Delhi, on May 30.
After nearly three years of serving as the U.K. prime minister, May formally quit as the leader of the ruling Conservative Party over failed Brexit negotiations. She remains the prime minister until the party elects a new leader in July 2019.
(Pictured) May breaks down as she makes the first official announcement of her resignation on May 24.
June 9: Over a million protest Hong Kong extradition bill
Nearly 1.03 million people attended a march protesting a proposed legislation that allows extradition of individuals, including foreign nationals, to mainland China to stand trial. After the protests turned violent, Hong Kong Chief Executive Carrie Lam announced that the bill would be indefinitely suspended. However, protests have continued so as to ensure the complete withdrawal of the bill.
June 18: Marta becomes top goalscorer in soccer World Cup history
With her goal against Italy during a FIFA Women's World Cup match in Valenciennes, France, Brazilian striker Marta (#10) overtook German star Miroslav Klose as the leading goalscorer in women's or men's World Cup tournaments. This was her 17th goal at the World Cup.
In July 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) was shot down while flying over Ukraine, killing 283 passengers and 15 crew members. Nearly five years later, a Dutch-led joint investigation team (JIT) charged three Russians and a Ukrainian with bringing a missile into the area and with murder. Global arrest warrants have been issued for the four suspects, and the court hearing will begin in the Netherlands on March 9, 2020.
Near Charleston, Folly Beach was seeing a steady stream of visitor traffic despite blustery weather. Lines were manageable at a Harris Teeter grocery store and gas station, and stocks of gas, food and water were still holding up. Dustin Danner, 39, a tractor equipment manager, was filling a boat with gasoline to serve as a spare fuel supply and helping prepare the home of a friend, who was out of town.
“I really didn’t check into his house until 1 a.m.,” Mr. Danner said. “At that point Dorian was going to hit Florida and bounce back out. This morning you wake up and it’s a whole different thing.” — Chris Dixon
It’s too soon for Floridians to let their guard down.
Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida welcomed Dorian’s eastward shift but warned that the forecast remains uncertain.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” he said on Saturday afternoon from the state’s emergency operations center in Tallahassee, the capital.
The tropical storm watch is likely to extend north in coming advisories, he said, emphasizing that a slight westward shift could bring Dorian ashore. “We are staying prepared, and we’re remaining vigilant,” he said.
He asked residents to heed local orders for mandatory evacuations, which are in place along some coastal communities in Brevard County,in the Space Coast. An earlier evacuation order for parts of Martin County, in the Treasure Coast, was rescinded.Jared Moskowitz, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, recalled Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which hugged the state’s Atlantic coast in a path similar to one Dorian could take. Matthew still washed out entire parts of roads.
Mr. DeSantis asked Floridians to keep the neighboring Bahamas in their thoughts.
“Say a prayer for the people there, because they’re about to face something that is mighty strong,” he said. — Patricia Mazzei
The storm is putting forecasters to the test.
Eric Blake is hooked on weather. This is his 20th hurricane season at the National Hurricane Center in Miami, where he is one of the 10 specialists who have spent the past few days huddled over their computer monitors analyzing radar, surface information, wind speeds and other pieces of data on Dorian.
Despite all their tools — and the two hurricane hunter planes in the thick of the storm — Mr. Blake admits he isn’t sure where it will land.
“It’s unbelievably complex,” Mr. Blake said. “You use set of equations and physics to get the best possible forecast, but you always have to make approximations and best guesses. There are also limitations to science.”
New model projections come in every six hours, he explained.
And tiny errors have big consequences. “If you are off by one or two miles per hour, it doesn’t sound like a lot,” Mr. Blake said. But “over five days, you are talking 240 miles potentially. This has been a difficult storm to forecast. I don’t think we are going to be ready to cement any of these forecasts any time soon.”
Mr. Blake warned that even though the latest models offered good news for South Floridians, storms at higher latitudes — even lower category ones — tend to be bigger, exposing more swaths of land to storm surge and rain.
“This is Labor Day weekend,” he said. “You are going to have people who are going to want to go to the beach, and there are going to be giant swells and dangerous riptides.”
The jet streams that push hurricanes toward their destinations are relatively weak in this case, said Mike Brennan, who leads the hurricane specialist unit. That means Hurricane Dorian may move more erratically, Mr. Brennan said, as it is more susceptible to the topography of the land it passes over and even thunderstorms in its berth, posing a challenge to forecasters hundreds of miles away.
With so little clarity, viewers armed with radar images, hurricane models and air pressure numbers are marching onto the Facebook and Twitter pages of forecasters’ stations and demanding more precise information, challenging their predictions and sometimes even accusing them of misleading the public. — Frances Robles, Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs and Patricia Mazzei
South Florida is full of valuable art. Crews are rushing to protect it.
On Saturday morning, a small fleet of hospital-white trucks with special climate controls and super-sensitive shock absorbers headed to the mansions of Palm Beach to take dozens of paintings worth millions of dollars out of harm’s way.
The trucks were from the Museo Vault, one of several art warehouses in Miami that have been swarmed by wealthy collectors and art museums as Dorian thrashes toward the United States.
When the Vault opened 11 years ago, Miami was well on its way toward becoming an international art destination. Several world-class museums have opened in recent years and private collections have been expanding. And while fears of deadly winds have eased with Dorian’s expected shift northward, powerful surges of seawater and driving rain are still a threat to the many works of art in South Florida’s cultural institutions.
“Our biggest concern now is the storm surge,” said Vanessa Amor, the business manager of Museo Vault, a five-story fortified concrete bastion of Picassos, Chagalls, Latin American Masters and other treasures in Miami’s Wynwood art district. “Many of our clients live on the water.”
Most of the Vault’s work on Thursday and Friday was in Miami. But as the forecasts changed, workers found themselves further north. In Palm Beach on Saturday, the Vault’s crews were loading the white trucks with paintings at two oceanfront mansions, bound for the warehouse in Miami. At another Palm Beach home, workers were moving paintings to a windowless, second-floor room. “Some of our clients don’t want their art to leave,” Ms. Amor said.
It wasn’t just paintings that needed protecting. The company wrapped half a dozen bronze, aluminum and steel outdoor sculptures in blankets and plastic. One couple brought in items themselves — four cardboard boxes of expensive glass vases from their home on a small offshore island. They’d come with three 19th-century European paintings and some Persian carpets last week, they said.
The vault is expecting a lot of business after the storm. “The electricity gets knocked out,” Ms. Amor said. “There’s no air conditioning and the art work starts cooking.” — Joseph B. Treaster
Events and travel plans have been upended.
Beachgoers in Palm Beach take advantage of the of weather ahead of Hurricane Dorian bearing down on the Florida Coast, on August 31, 2019. - Hurricane Dorian changed course slightly on Saturday, possibly putting it on track to hit the Carolinas rather than Florida as previously forecast, after a dangerous blast through the Bahamas. Meteorologists said Dorian has grown into an extremely dangerous Category 4 storm as it heads toward land. (Photo by Adam DelGiudice / AFP) (Photo credit should read ADAM DELGIUDICE/AFP/Getty Images)
Orlando International Airport (MCO) will halt commercial flights on Monday beginning at 2 a.m., the airport announced on Twitter on Friday. Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB) will also close after the last flight departs Sunday night and it will remain closed until further notice, airport officials said.
In a statement on Friday, Disney said that although Walt Disney World Resort was operating under normal conditions, weekend sporting events would be canceled and its Blizzard Beach Water Park would be closed on Sunday.
A Rolling Stones concert planned for Saturday in Miami was moved up to Friday night, having already been rescheduled from an April date. The band began the evening with the 1968 hit “Jumping Jack Flash,” an apt choice for its opening lyrics: “I was born in a crossfire hurricane / And I howled at the maw in the driving rain.”
The skies opened up as they played their first encore, “Gimme Shelter.” As they took their bows at the end, all four band members, their shirts soaked, looked up at the rain and laughed. — Tariro Mzezewa and Nick Madigan
Stay or go? The hurricane presents a tough choice.
Florida residents are wrestling with the financial, logistical and psychological calculations of whether to stay or go. And local and state officials are staring down the meteorological and political calculations of whether to order evacuations that carry risks no matter what.
“Here’s the dilemma with evacuation: He who orders it, owns it,” said Russel L. Honore, a retired Army lieutenant general who earned acclaim for leading the military response to Hurricane Katrina.
For many households, the cost of evacuation and finding a place to stay is a major factor. Others must weigh the mobility of aging family members, pets, and children, and the type of structure they call home. In 2019, there is also the challenge of making sense of Too Much Information, from breathless news and social media updates to relatives with an opinion.
Florida’s governor, Ron DeSantis, said shoulders on Interstate 95 had been cleared for traffic and would be open when local evacuation orders were issued. The state, he said, would largely advise rather than direct local officials on whether to tell residents to flee.
“You will see evacuations. I’m confident of that,” he said, adding: “But we’re not going to be telling every county, ‘Tell everybody to leave,’ because that may create some problems as well.” — Joseph B. Treaster and Amy Harmon
You don’t meet a Dorian every day. Fewer than three out of every 10,000 babies born in the United States last year were given that name, according to the Social Security Administration.
The title character of Oscar Wilde’s novel “The Picture of Dorian Gray” was no one you’d be likely to name a child after, and only a tiny handful of Dorians have achieved any fame as singers, actors or athletes. However, Dorian was the surname of Zach Braff’s character on “Scrubs.”
So how did the name get attached to a major hurricane?
Tropical storm and hurricane names come from annual alphabetical lists drawn up by the World Meteorological Organization. There are six such lists in rotation, so names recur every six years. But when a storm proves to be especially notorious, damaging and deadly, that name is retired — there won’t be another Katrina, Harvey, Maria or Sandy — and is replaced with another beginning with the same letter. That has happened 74 times since World War II.
Most of the names used for Atlantic storms are familiar ones to American ears, but a few relative rarities have come to be sprinkled in the lists as substitutes for retired names. The I’s have had especially high turnover — Ione, Inez, Iris, Isabel, Ivan, Ike, Igor, Irene, Ingrid and Irma have all been scratched — so the six “I” names currently in rotation include Idalia and Isaias as well as the more often encountered Isaac, Ida, Ian and Imelda.
Dorian is the first relatively uncommon “D” name to join the lists. It was chosen after the 2007 season to replace Dean, the name of a Category 5 storm that blasted through the Caribbean and Central America that year, leading to some 45 deaths.
There was a Tropical Storm Dorian in 2013, but it did minimal damage and was not blamed for any deaths. So the hurricane bearing down on Florida in 2019 is Dorian the second — and if it proves disastrous, perhaps the last. — Patrick Lyons
Reporting was contributed by Patricia Mazzei, Frances Robles, Joseph B. Treaster and Nick Madigan in Miami; Elisabeth Malkin in Mexico City; Chris Dixon in Charleston, S.C.; and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs, Amy Harmon and Patrick Lyons in New York.
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Dorian lashes east Canada, then weakens heading out to sea.
The storm that already walloped the Virgin Islands, Bahamas and North Carolina lashed at far-eastern Canada with hurricane-force winds for much of Sunday, knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people before weakening and heading into the North Atlantic.
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