Dorian: Historic disaster unfolds in The Bahamas

Take a look at some of the best stories on this subject published by international sources you can find in BNamericas Newsfinder.

Washington Post: ‘Bahamas is presently at war’: Slow-moving Dorian wreaks devastation across island nation

NASSAU, Bahamas – The Bahamas confronted a national catastrophe from one of the strongest storms on record, as Hurricane Dorian continued its slow and punishing slouch across this island nation, turning homes into heaps of debris, ripping roofs off buildings and transforming narrow island passes into open sea. 

In sharp contrast with fast-moving storms that pass within an hour or two, some parts of the Bahamas, including the Abacos Islands and Dorian's current target, Grand Bahama Island, witnessed nearly 24 hours of punishing conditions. 

"The Bahamas is presently at war and being attacked by Hurricane Dorian," Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said in an interview. "And yet, it has no weapon at its disposal to defend itself during such an assault by this enemy."

In the storm's direct wake were flooded neighborhoods and wide-ranging destruction. The airport in Freeport – the nation's second-largest city – was reported to be five feet under water. 

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AP: Hurricane Dorian pummels Bahamas with Category 5 assault

FREEPORT, Bahamas (AP) – Hurricane Dorian hovered over the Bahamas on Monday, pummeling the islands with a fearsome Category 5 assault that shredded roofs, hurled cars and forced even rescue crews to take shelter until the onslaught passed.

Information began emerging from other affected islands, with Bahamas Power and Light spokesman Quincy Parker telling ZNS radio station that there was a total blackout in New Providence, the archipelago's most populous island. He also said the company's office in Abaco island was flattened by the storm.

"It's devastating," Joy Jibrilu, director general of the Bahamas' Ministry of Tourism and Aviation, said Sunday afternoon. "There has been huge damage to property and infrastructure.”

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Barbados Today: Monster hurricane wreaks havoc in northern Bahamas

Hurricane Dorian made a dramatic and terrifying landfall in the Abacos early yesterday with devastating impacts, before taking aim at nearby Grand Bahama.

Drone footage revealed a great portion of South and Central Abaco under water and wide-scale damage to structures.

As the storm rolled in, officials said a surge of up to 23 feet was expected. Dorian struck Abaco with sustained winds of 185 miles per hour (mph) and gusts over 200 mph.

Some areas were left flattened, including docks, houses, resorts and other businesses.

In one video, scores of residents were crammed into a home in Marsh Harbour as houses around them were flattened. The roof of the home they went to for shelter was compromised even before the back of the storm roared in.

“Marsh Harbour is finished; there is no more Marsh Harbour,” one resident declared.

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Reuters: ’Seek elevated shelter immediately!’ Dorian lays siege to Bahamas as Category 5 hurricane

TITUSVILLE, Fla. — Hurricane Dorian became the strongest storm in modern records to hit the northwestern Bahamas and is expected to pound the islands with up to two days of torrential rain, high waves and damaging winds.

Maxine Duncombe, administrator for Central Abaco, said that more than 500 people lived on cays off Central Abaco and that most had remained despite evacuation orders.

"I would say at least 90 percent of the persons stayed on the cays," she said.

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The Miami Herald: 'Conditions are catastrophic' in Grand Bahama as Dorian continues pounding Bahamas

Bahamians woke up Monday to 165mph winds, life-threatening rains and 15 to 23 feet storm surges that left homes and roads under water from Grand Bahama to New Providence, where residents in the capital of Nassau were trying to escape rising water amid an island-wide power blackout.

After pounding the Abacos and leaving a trail of snapped trees, flipped cars and missing rooftops in the northern Bahamas, a Category 5 Hurricane Dorian moved over to low-lying Grand Bahama, where it sat over the island as it moved at just 1mph.

"Things are not good in Grand Bahama right now," said Kwasi Thompson, the minister of state responsible for Grand Bahama. "Conditions are catastrophic. We have parts of the island that are completely under water, where the water has already risen waist-high."