US NewsHurricane Dorian: Hundreds flee as conditions are 'rapidly deteriorating'

Hurricane Dorian howled over North Carolina's coast on Friday as a Category 1 storm after pummeling the Bahamas earlier this week.

(Pictured) An image made with a drone shows the Outer Banks near the Avalon Fishing Pier the morning after Hurricane Dorian struck Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina on Sept. 7.

A woman comforts her son as they wait to be evacuated to Nassau at the port in Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island, Bahamas, on Sept. 7.

An aerial view of a damaged home in Elbow Key Island, Bahamas, on Sept. 7.

North Carolina Division of highways crews work to clear the beach road to Hatteras Island, N.C., on Sept. 7.

A Bahamas Army officer walks beside a line of people waiting for evacuation to Nassau at the Port in Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island, Bahamas, on Sept. 7.

A utility worker walks through downed power lines along a causeway in Nags Head, N.C., on Sept. 7.

An image made with a drone shows damage to the roof of the Mariner Hotel the morning after Hurricane Dorian struck Kill Devil Hills, North Carolina, on Sept. 7.

Barbara Key hugs Herald Malone after seeing him again after Hurricane Dorian devastated Elbow Key Island on Sept. 7 in Bahamas.

Why Storms Like Hurricane Dorian Are So Hard to Predict

When hurricanes form, meteorologists like me bring out beautiful maps with precise detail. The hurricane’s forecast track even has a line down the middle. And yet, as has been proven this week with Hurricane Dorian, there’s a whole lot about hurricane forecasting we still don’t know. The Windward Islands, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic were scared then spared. We’re not sure yet, but that’s probably going to be the case for Florida too. This is not a question of whether forecasters can work harder or put in more hours.

HURRICANE DORIAN is now the strongest hurricane of 2019 as it continues to batter the Bahamas before hitting the east coast of the US. Hurricane Dorian has become the strongest storm in modern records to hit the northwestern Bahamas.

Related Topics. Hurricane Dorian . media captionOn board a UK ship offering aid and rescue to the Bahamas. Officials have denied covering up the number of deaths. The toll is likely to rise as hundreds , possibly thousands, of people are still missing.

Extra Dutch soldiers arrive at Eindhoven Air Base for departure to the Caribbean, in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, on Sept. 7. The 84 soldiers will provide emergency relief to those affected by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas.

A broken palm is silhouetted by the sunrise in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island, Bahamas, on Sept. 7.

Bahamas Army officers park an armored vehicle in front a line of people waiting to be evacuated to Nassau at the Port in Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island, Bahamas, on Sept. 7.

A man walks among debris in the Mudd neighborhood of devastated Abaco Islands in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on Sept. 6.

People board private boats to be evacuated at the Marsh Harbour Port on Sept. 6.

Hurricane Dorian relief supplies are stacked below deck on Royal Caribbean International's Mariner of the Seas ship before sailing from Port Canaveral, Florida, on Sept. 6.

Hurricane Dorian’s Reach Sprawls From Bahamas to Florida

Dorian’s storm surge threatens most of the Southeast coast. The National Hurricane Center warned in its 11 p.m. update on Tuesday that within the next 36 hours, most of the Southeast coast, faced “a danger of life-threatening inundation, from rising water moving inland from the coastline.” 

Members of the Kure Beach Fire Department clean up around a business near the oceanfront following the effects of Hurricane Dorian in Kure Beach, North Carolina, on Sept. 6.

Wesley Joseph walks through fallen trees and debris over devastated Great Abaco Island on Sept. 6.

Volunteers hand out food and water to the survivors of Dorian in Marsh Harbour, Abaco Island, on Sept. 6.

North Carolina Highway 12 is obscured in blowing sand as Dorian hits the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, on Sept. 6.

A fallen tree and flood waters are seen in a hotel parking in Wilmington, North Carolina, on Sept. 6.

View of a destroyed building at the Marsh Harbour Port in Grand Abaco Island, on Sept. 6, in the Bahamas.

Friends and neighbors sift through what is left of a damaged trailer at the Boardwalk RV Park in Emerald Isle, North Carolina on Sept. 6.

People wait to be evacuated in private boats at the Marsh Harbour Port in devastated Grand Abaco Island on Sept. 6.

A girl removes personal belongings from her damaged home after a tornado, spawned by the hurricane, ripped apart her roof in Carolina Shores, on Sept. 6.

6-year-old uses money he saved for birthday trip to Disney to help Hurricane Dorian evacuees instead

A 6-year-old boy from South Carolina used money he and his family saved to take him to Disney World to help feed Hurricane Dorian evacuees instead. According to a local ABC station, Jermaine Bell and his parents had initially saved up money to take him to the amusement park for his 7th birthday on Sunday. But after seeing forecasts of Hurricane Dorian's anticipated arrival in South Carolina, Bell decided to use the money to help evacuees instead.

A man walks among debris at the Mudd neighborhood, in Marsh Harbour, on Sept. 6.

South Carolina Department of Transportation workers remove sand washed onto Spring Street in the aftermath of Dorian in Pawleys Island, South Carolina, on Sept. 6.

Abaco Island survivor Leon Lazard, 42, who evacuated via a U.S. Coast Guard cutter, shows his injuries from Dorian after being treated at Princess Margaret Hospital in Nassau, Bahamas on Sept. 6.

Construction workers are seen on the roofs of adjacent houses labor near one another after a tornado spawned by Dorian damaged homes, in Carolina Shores, North Carolina, on Sept. 6.

Billy and Marsha Constangy walk off of the beachon Sept. 6 in Nags Head, North Carolina.

A portion of the Kure Beach Pier is seen damaged by winds on Sept. 6.

Passengers wait to board the Balearia Caribbean ferry that departs from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale on Sept. 6.

Houses with extensive damages are seen following landfall by Hurricane Dorian at an undisclosed location in the Bahamas on Sept. 6.

A city park and playground are inundated with flood waters in Wilmington, North Carolina on Sept. 6.

Members of the Kure Beach Fire Department clean up on Sept. 6.

Water from the Atlantic Ocean flows beneath beach homes as Hurricane Dorian hits Nags Head, North Carolina, on Sept. 6.

Passengers wait to board the Balearia Caribbean ferry that departs from Port Everglades in Fort Lauderdale, on Sept. 6.

A police car drives down Virginia Dare Trail in North Carolina, on Sept. 6.

This satellite image provided by NASA from the International Space Station shows Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 5.

An aerial view of damage from Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 5 in Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island, Bahamas.

In Bahamas, a Blind Father Wades to Safety, His Disabled Son on His Shoulders

 The roof had blown clean off. Outside, the ocean surged, swallowing the land. Brent Lowe knew he had to escape — and take his 24-year-old son, who has cerebral palsy and can’t walk, with him. 

The Bogue Inlet Fishing Pier in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, is pounded with waves as Hurricane Dorian churns up the ocean before its arrival on Sept. 5.

A fallen tree is seen at a street as Hurricane Dorian started to be effective in Charleston, South Carolina on Sept. 5.

A flooded street is seen as Hurricane Dorian started to be effective in Charleston, South Carolina on Sept. 5.

Flood water accumulates in the front yard of a home on Sept. 5 in Georgetown, South Carolina.

A flooded street is seen as Hurricane Dorian started to be effective in Charleston, South Carolina on Sept. 5.

Residents of the Boardwalk RV Park in Emerald Isle, North Carolina, discuss the path of Hurricane Dorian's waterspout after it ripped through their community on Sept. 5.

A flooded street is seen as Hurricane Dorian starts to affect Charleston, South Carolina, on Sept. 5.

Extensive damage and destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian is seen in Great Abaco, Bahamas, on Sept. 5.

A fallen tree rests on a house as Hurricane Dorian affects Charleston, South Carolina, on Sept. 5, 2019.

Marsh Harbor residents wait at Leonard M. Thompson International Airport while trying to evacuate the island on Sept. 5, in Great Abaco Island, Bahamas.

Hurricane watchers look over the Isle of Palms connector at a sailboat that came loose during Hurricane Dorian at the Isle of Palms, S.C., on Sept. 5.

Debris covers the ground including damage to Summerville High School's football stadium's goal post and signage after Hurricane Dorian passed by on Sept. 5, in Summerville, S.C.

Aliana Alexis of Haiti stands on the concrete slab of what is left of her home after destruction from Hurricane Dorian in an area called "The Mud" at Marsh Harbour in Great Abaco Island, Bahamas, on Sept. 5.

Hurricane Dorian: Nobody knows how many lived - and died - at Ground Zero

Our helicopter pilot banked sharply to the right so that I could see the ground beneath us, but I couldn't see any ground - just a mass of splintered wood and rubble, huge piles of it. That was our first glimpse of the shanty town on Abaco Island known as Mudd and Pigeon Peas. Home to thousands of unofficial residents mainly from Haiti, the community has been utterly and completely destroyed. There is nothing left. It is impossible to identify what were houses, what were roads. It has all been smashed to pieces by the thunderous power of Hurricane Dorian.

Residents pass damage caused by Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 5, in Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island in the Bahamas.

A helicopter takes off outside Marsh Harbour Healthcare Center after Hurricane Dorian hit the Abaco Islands in Marsh Harbour, Bahamas, on Sept. 5.

Destruction from Hurricane Dorian in an area called "The Mud" at Marsh Harbour in Great Abaco Island, Bahamas, on Sept. 5.

A power company lineman works to restore power after a tornado hit Emerald Isle, N.C., as Hurricane Dorian moved up the East Coast on Sept. 5.

Emerald Isle town employees work to clear the road after a tornado hit Emerald Isle, N.C., as Hurricane Dorian moved up the East Coast on Sept. 5.

Power company lineman work to restore power after a tornado hit Emerald Isle, N.C., as Hurricane Dorian moved up the East Coast on Sept. 5.

A flooded street is seen as Hurricane Dorian started to be effective in Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 5.

Kelsey Myers looks at an overturned tree in her front yard in Summerville, S.C., after Hurricane Dorian passed on Sept. 5.

Crews with the Charleston Fire Department clear a fallen tree during Hurricane Dorian in Charleston, S.C. on Sept. 5.

A resident pumps water from the yard of his home during Hurricane Dorian in Charleston, S.C. on Sept. 5.

Debris blankets the landscape in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in Marsh Harbor, Abaco, Bahamas on Sept. 5.

An aerial view of damage from Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 5, in Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island, Bahamas.

Extensive damage and destruction in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian is seen in Abaco, Bahamas on Sept. 5.

An aerial view of damage from Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 5 in Marsh Harbour, Great Abaco Island, Bahamas.

Water nears beach front homes as Hurricane Dorian approaches on Sept. 5 in Rodanthe, N.C.

Rains and wind pelt Charleston, South Carolina early on the morning of Sept. 5 as Hurricane Dorian enters the area.

Nato Contreras boards the windows of a kindergarten during a mandatory evacuation for residents as Hurricane Dorian make it's way to Cape Hatteras in North Carolina on Sept. 4.

A man rides a bicycle along the Charleston Battery on Sept. 4 in Charleston, South Carolina.

A man's facial hair blows in the wind as he takes a selfie along the waterfront ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Dorian in Charleston, South Carolina on Sept. 4.

An Airman from the US Air Force's Crisis Response Group preparing to depart on board a Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey for disaster relief efforts in the Bahamas, at Homestead Air Reserve Base in Florida Sept. 4.

Florida Department of Transportation members work on the A1A closed coastal route of Vilano Beach due to debris and flooding from Hurricane Dorian, in St. Augustine, Florida on Sept. 4.

With the evacuation of St. Lucie County, Florida lifted, residents who have been staying in the shelter at Fort Pierce High School leave to return to their homes on Sept. 4.

An aerial view of damage caused by Hurricane Dorian is seen on Great Abaco Island, Bahamas on Sept. 4.

Sitting in her home's lounger, Virginia Mosvold, 84, is lowered from a truck by volunteers after being rescued from her flooded home on Ol' Freetown Farm farm in the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian before being taken to the hospital on the outskirts of Freeport, Bahamas on Sept. 4.

President Donald Trump talks to reporters following a briefing from officials about Hurricane Dorian in the Oval Office at the White House on Sept. 4.

Homes flattened by Hurricane Dorian are seen in Abaco, Bahamas, Thursday, Sept. 5.

Heavy rain and strong gusts of winds cover a walkway at the Jensen Beach Causeway Park on Sept. 3.

Anti-Brexit protesters attend a demonstration outside the Houses of Parliament on Sept. 3.

A fire burns a tract of the Amazon jungle as it is cleared by loggers and farmers on Aug. 31.

Helen Haslem, the head of Thomas's Battersea, greets Princess Charlotte as she arrives for her first day of school accompanied by her mother Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, father Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and brother Prince George, on Sept. 5.

A lookalike statue of Donald Trump, called Slovenian statue of liberty, is seen on Aug. 30.

With an image of "El Liberator" Simon Bolivar on a mural behind, White House adviser Ivanka Trump is seen hugging a migrant woman during a visit to a center for Venezuelan migrants on Sept. 4.

Members of Japanese Self-Defence Forces' honor guard prepare for a welcoming ceremony for Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh at the Defence Ministry on Sept. 2.

Rafael Nadal of Spain returns a shot during his men's singles fourth-round match against Marin Čilić of Croatia on day eight of the 2019 U.S. Open at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center on Sept. 2.

Penarol fans during their team's match against Nacional at Centenario Stadium on Sept. 1.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visit Zvezda shipyard, accompanied by Rosneft chief Igor Sechin (C), ahead of the Eastern Economic Forum, on Sept. 4.

A makeshift memorial is seen near the docks of Truth Aquatics after its 75-foot Conception commercial diving boat burned and sank near Santa Cruz Island, offshore from Santa Barbara, on Sept. 3. Of the 39 people aboard, five crew members on the upper deck were able to escape the deadly fire by jumping into the water, while 20 bodies were recovered and others reported missing.

The aerobatic team "First Flight," piloting Yak-52 and Yak-54 aircraft, performs during the MAKS-2019 International Aviation and Space Salon on Sept. 1.

Australia's Steve Smith clears a rubber ball that entered the field during day one of the fourth Ashes Test match versus England at Old Trafford on Sept. 4.

Relatives of missing persons hold signs with the photos of their loved ones during a march commemorating the International Day of the Disappeared on Aug. 30.

A lightning strikes over the Vittorio Emanuele II Monument and its equestrian statue during a thunderstorm on Sept. 2.

A man runs away from teargas after making off with goods from a store in Germiston on Sept. 3. Widespread looting and arson attacks on foreign-owned businesses have been reported across Johannesburg and Pretoria.

A shepherd on a donkey leads sheep toward the highlands on the foothills of Mount Nemrut during sunset in Tatvan district on Sept. 2.

A waterspout is seen from the German NGO Sea-Eye migrant rescue ship "Alan Kurdi" as it waits for further instructions after rescuing Tunisian migrants, in international waters off Malta in the central Mediterranean Sea, on Sept. 4.

The Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati pandal on Aug. 30. This year the design of the pandal is space-themed, featuring Chandrayaan-2, India's second lunar mission.

People lay flowers in a hole in a wall at the gym of a school, the scene of hostage crisis 15 years ago, in memory of the victims, on Sept. 1. More than 330 people, including 186 children, died as a result of the terrorist attack at the school in 2004.

A rainbow can be seen over the Inselsee on Sept. 3.

Medical officials assist a student that fainted during Independence Day celebrations on Aug. 31.

A plane flies over an anti-extradition bill protester as he demonstrates outside the airport on Sept. 1.

Smoke rises from shells fired from Israel on Sept. 1.

Deputies argue before a session to present the general policy of the appointed Prime Minister Fritz William Michel at the Parliament on Sept. 3.

Actor Gary Oldman takes pictures as he arrives at the 76h Venice Film Festival on Sept. 1.

Performers throw basketballs during the opening ceremony of FIBA World Cup at the Beijing National Aquatics Center on Aug. 30.

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier speaks at the commemoration ceremony of the 80th anniversary of the start of World War II, on Sept. 1.

Firefighters douse the fire of a barn next to an indoor riding arena in the Neuhaus estate in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia on Sept. 5.

A police office removes burning tires from the road, as protesters set up fires to block traffic along Airport Road on Sept. 4.

A Pomeranian dog sits in a rolling pet carrier on Sept. 4.

A swan and cygnets pass by during the photocall for the launch of "The Ship of Tolerance" at Tate Modern, Bankside on Sept. 4.

A young man performs acrobatic jumps on pillars of the remnants of the West Pier on Sept. 1.

A bee collects pollen from a sunflower on Sept. 2.

A truck is seen in a flood near the River Nile on Sept. 2.