Hurricane Dorian: First Footage of Storm Striking Bahamas Chills Social Media

Social media was left breathless after heartbreaking videos of the destruction left by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas. Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane, the highest rating on the Saffit-Simpson hurricane wind scale. It was the strongest hurricane in modern records to hit the northwestern Bahamas.

One Twitter user shared several videos from the Abaco Islands in the northern Bahamas, showing flooded streets and damaged homes. She reported that members of her family and friends are now homeless because of the storm.

ABC News‘ Marcus Moore described the scene in Marsh Harbour as “pure hell.”

“I have seen utter devastation here in Marsh Harbour. We are surrounded by water with no way out,” Moore reported. “Absolution devastation, there really are no words it is pure hell here on Marsh Harbour on Avoca Island in the northern part of the Bahamas.”

“Today I gave a live national briefing on the extremely dangerous #HurricaneDorian from NEMA Headquarters,” Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis tweeted Sunday night. “This is probably the saddest and worst day for me to address the Bahamian people. We are facing a hurricane that we have never seen in The Bahamas. Please pray for us.”

Dorian is moving dangerously slow across the Bahamas. By Sunday evening, the eye of the storm was moving west over Great Abaco at just 5 mph, reports CNN.

“A prolonged period of catastrophic winds and storm surge will affect the Abaco Islands and Grand Bahama Island tonight. Everyone there should take immediate shelter and not venture into the eye,” the National Hurricane Center’s latest forecast reads.

“Dorian has slowed down even more and is now moving toward the west or 270 degrees at 4 kt. The steering currents are collapsing and Dorian is expected to slow down a little more, prolonging its catastrophic effects in the northwestern Bahamas. The NHC forecast calls for a slow west to west-northwest motion during the next 48 hours,” the NHC further predicts. “A turn to the north and northeast with a gradual increase in forward speed is expected thereafter, as the mid-level trough over the eastern United States deepens.”

The latest forecast trajectory for the storm shows Dorian moving so slow it will still be between the Bahamas and Florida by Monday afternoon. Dorian is not predicted to make landfall in Florida, but East Coast residents have been warned to remain vigilant and some counties are already under evacuation orders.

The storm is forecast to make landfall in North or South Carolina by mid-to-late this week. South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster announced evacuation orders for eight coastal counties that will go into effect at noon Monday.

Photo credit: Getty Images