Hurricane Dorian Latest News

Dorian fast facts

• The Bahamas are recovering after Dorian decimated the islands for 48 hours, killing at least 43 people.
• Nearly 70,000 people are believed to be homeless in the Bahamas.
• At least two people were killed in North Carolina.
• The storm made landfall Saturday evening in Nova Scotia as a hurricane-force post-tropical cyclone.
• Half a million people in Nova Scotia experienced power outages

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Dorian weakened to a hurricane-force post-tropical cyclone on Saturday but managed to knock out power for half a million people in Nova Scotia, according to an 11 p.m. ET advisory from the National Hurricane Center. Dorian was traveling over the Canadian Maritimes and is 60 miles south of the Magdalen Islands. It had maximum sustained winds of 90 mph winds and was moving north-northeast at 30 mph.

Boats were pulled from the water in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on Friday and ferries waved their fees to bring residents on nearby islands back to the mainland.

The monster storm was blamed for at least 43 deaths in the Bahamas. It's a number that officials warn will surely grow as thousands of people remain missing. Nearly 70,000 people are believed to be homeless on the islands, the U.N. said Friday.

In the storm-ravaged Outer Banks of North Carolina, floodwaters have receded

This image shows the path of Hurricane Dorian on September 7, 2019. NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER

Dorian topples crane in Nova Scotia

A crane toppled and crashed into the side of a downtown apartment building under construction, according to The Associated Press. A roof was ripped off an apartment complex in the city's south end.

Firefighter Jeff Paris said several apartment buildings were being evacuated due to damage incurred from Dorian.

https://twitter.com/CBCNS/status/1170430734831706114

- CBCNS

Power outages hit Nova Scotia

Dorian made landfall near Sambo Creak, Nova Scotia Saturday evening, about 15 miles south of Halifax. The storm brought maximum sustained winds of 100 mph and plunged parts of Nova Scotia into darkness.

Initially, Nova Scotia Power Inc. reported more than 300,000 customers were without power in parts of Halifax, Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick. A National Hurricane Center update revised that number up to half a million.

CEO Karen Hutt told The Associated Press that 1,000 workers were at the ready to restore power once conditions became safe enough to do so.

Bahamas grapples with Dorian

The humanitarian crisis in the Bahamas is growing increasingly dire almost a week after Hurricane Dorian made landfall. The death toll now stands at 43 and is expected to significantly rise.

Food, water and other supplies are rapidly running out.

More than 1,000 people evacuated from the Caribbean nation arrived on a cruise ship in Florida on Saturday, reports Errol Barnett.

He noted that CBS News also witnessed long lines outside Freeport banks and grocery stores as residents attempt to return to normalcy. One resident said it could take a couple of years before he'd be fully recovered.

CBS News also came across an Equinor Oil complex that was battered by the storm. In a statement, Equinor Oil said it is safe-guarding the environment and has "not identified any oil on beaches and we have not observed leakage of oil from our terminal to the sea."

However, widespread contamination appears to be evident. It's just one more aspect of recovery for the bahamian government to address.

-- Errol Barnett

North Carolina assess Dorian damage

North Carolina is sending aid to its Outer Banks. This weekend, help is coming from the air -- helicopters rescued people from their waterlogged homes -- and from the sea, where ferry service is bringing food, water and other supples to residents cut off from the mainland.

Despite a mandatory evacuation order for Ocracoke Island, an estimated 800 people were still in their homes Friday when the Category 1 storm slammed into the tiny barrier island. Search and rescue teams went door to door, sometimes by boat, to check on residents looking for help.

Elsewhere in North Carolina, Dorian damaged parts of the main highway on the Outer Banks. Several sections of the road were buckled by the waves. State officials say it could take weeks to fix the roads. Flooded roads and downed power lines also made getting around a problem.

Wind gusts over 70 miles per hour damaged trees and some homes, leaving residents to pick up after Dorian.

-- Omar Villafranca

Dorian becomes post-tropical cyclone

According to a 5 p.m. ET update on Saturday from the National Hurricane Center, Dorian has become a hurricane-force post-tropical cyclone, with maximum sustained winds of up to 100 mph. The designation refers to a storm that may still have hurricane-force winds but lacks the typical characteristics found in a tropical cyclone.

The NHC believes "the center of Dorian should cross the coast of Nova Scotia near Halifax during the next few hours, then move across eastern Nova Scotia into the Gulf of St. Lawrence near Prince Edward Island tonight."

North Carolina governor confirms second Hurricane death

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper confirmed during a press conference on Saturday that another person was found dead in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. At least two people have died in North Carolina.

Cooper described the second victim as a 67-year-old man from Pamlico County. The man reportedly fell from a ladder while preparing for the storm.

Cooper toured multiple regions impacted by the storm, including Ocracoke Island and Emerald Isle.

"Overall this could have been much worse for our state," Cooper admitted. "The people who did get significant wind damage -- this is a bad situation for them but in North Carolina, we are going to pull together and we are going to work to.. get back to normal as soon as possible."

​Coast Guard rescues 290 in the Bahamas

The U.S. Coast Guard said it has rescued 290 people in the Bahamas since the hurricane devastated the string of islands this week. Six MH-60 Jayhawk helicopters conducted search and rescue operations and provided logistical support.

Earlier this week, "CBS Evening News" flew with the Coast Guard' over the islands hit hardest by the hurricane.

"Our primary mission is search and rescue. We can suffer some casualty to the plane to save a life but our primary mission is to save a life," Lieutenant Julianna White told CBS News.

The Coast Guard Air Station Miami is no stranger to these missions. In 2005, they rescued nearly 800 people following Hurricane Katrina. Lieutenant Jillian Harner said even one rescue makes all the hard work worth it.

"It's definitely an honor. You have one case of rescues, it's the best feeling. It makes the training you've done worth it," Harner said.

Watches and warnings in effect

A summary of watches and warnings in effect, via the National Hurricane Center.

• Hurricane warning: Eastern Nova Scotia from Lower East Pubnico to Brule; Western Newfoundland from Indian Harbour to Hawke's Bay
• Hurricane watch: Prince Edward Island; Magdalen Islands
• Tropical storm warning: East of Bar Harbor to Eastport, Maine; Prince Edward Island; Southwestern Nova Scotia from Avonport to north of Lower East Pubnico; Fundy National Park to Shediac; Stone's Cove to Indian Harbour; Hawke's Bay to Fogo Island; Mutton Bay to Mary's Harbour

A hurricane warning means hurricane conditions were expected. A hurricane watch means hurricane conditions were possible.

A tropical storm warning means tropical storm conditions were expected within 36 hours. A tropical storm watch means tropical storm conditions were possible within 36 hours.

A storm surge warning means there was a danger of life-threatening rising water moving inland within 36 hours. A storm surge watch means there was a possibility of life-threatening rising water within 48 hours.

Cruise ship evacuates 1,500 in Bahamas

The Bahamas Paradise Cruise Line helped evacuate more than 1,500 people from Grand Bahama island. The cruise ship will bring the evacuees to West Palm Beach, Florida.

"Every donation we've received so far has significantly helped in our mission to bring relief and aid to our brothers and sisters on Grand Bahama Island -- our beloved second home. Together with first responders and volunteers, we were able to provide Bahamian residents with food, water, personal hygiene products, medical equipment, generators, and other desperately-needed supplies."

https://www.facebook.com/BPCruiseLine/posts/2219842841458546:0

​"Catastrophic" flooding in North Carolina

Video taken by sheriffs deputies shows an overhead view of the destruction left by Dorian as the storm passed through coastal North Carolina.

Thelma Horner, 95, nearly lost part of her home when wind gusts ripped an 80 foot tree out of the ground.

"I'm glad that it's in the street and not in the yard," she said.

Heavy winds on the Outer Banks ripped siding off of homes and snapped telephone poles in half. rough surf from dorian washed away a third of this long-standing pier.

First responders are conducting rescue missions in the heavily flooded Ocracoke Island. An estimated 800 residents defied evacuation orders for the island, which is only accessible by air or boat.

Governor Roy Cooper described the flooding as catastrophic. "Currently, the island has no electricity and many of the homes are still under water," Cooper said in a news conference.

Officials in New Jersey and New York have banned swimming and surfing at their beaches while Dorian makes its way to Canada. The National Weather Service predicts ocean swells as large as 10 feet,.but some locals are not as worried.

76,000 people in need of aid in Bahamas

"CBS Evening News" landed at what's now a shelter for survivors who have been waiting in terminal seats for days. Most are now homeless. Maxine Ferguson and her two teenage sons have been sleeping on a makeshift bed. "Abaco has always been my home," she said.

Her home was 15 miles away. The hotel where she works is gone, too.

"If there's nothing here, we can't work, we can't make money. We can't pay bills, we can't do nothing. I would love to come back, it hurts me to leave. But my kids," Ferguson said.

As they wait, a group of Abacos residents wait lined up. There are 76,000 people who need aid, including survivors with medical needs, pregnant women and children are a priority to evacuate.

A few hours after CBS News met Ferguson, she was told a plane was coming for her. She wants to get to Nassau where she has family. But she said, like so many in the Bahamas, she has no home insurance and no means to rebuild.

-- Nikki Battiste reports from Nassau

Dorian headed to Nova Scotia "in a hurry"

Hurricane Dorian is headed for Nova Scotia "in a hurry," according to the 11 p.m. ET Friday advisory from the National Hurricane Center. The storm is moving northeast at a pace of about 25 mph and could bring hurricane-force winds to parts of Nova Scotia by late Saturday.

Nova Scotia could get up to 7 inches of rain in isolated sections, while parts of southeastern New England and Maine could also experience some rainfall. Tropical storm conditions, including winds, could also hit the region.

​"There's nothing I could save"

CBS News saw long lines of people waiting for food and water on Grand Bahama island Friday. The crew also witnessed the devastation left behind by Dorian.

For Kenneth Knowles and his family, taking an overnight ferry home to Freeport was bittersweet. "We did suffer catastrophic damage at our business so we're now going home to try to see what's there," he said.

They were aboard a vessel carrying desperately needed humanitarian aid to those hardest hit by the storm. As soon as CBS News arrived and ventured through Freeport, there were people lined up for hours in hopes of getting ice and water.

Brenda Suberallen rode out the storm in Freeport and came back to her uprooted home to salvage what she could. "There's nothing I could save really, not a thing," she said.

The further east, the worse it gets. Then, the only highway across the island, ends. The main highway out of Freeport has been completely devastated. A lot of people left their vehicles behind on the side of the road. That's one reason why it's so challenging to get aid through the country.

Keeno Lettice and his father are trying to make contact with friends they haven't spoken with since the storm. But seeing the state of the road, they turned back.

-- Errol Barnett reports from Grand Bahama island

​Crews rescue stranded residents in North Carolina

A rescue is underway along the coast of North Carolina. Hundreds who refused to evacuate Ocracoke Island were stranded when Dorian slammed into the Outer Banks Friday morning.

Late Friday afternoon, the first chopper took off for Ocracoke once winds subsided to rescue the nearly 800 people trapped there. Dorian's howling winds, torrents of rain and surging seas caught many of the hurricane hardened residents of the island by surprise.

"All of this has happened in a few minutes. It's coming into the house. It's coming in under the door," one homeowner said.

People who defied a mandatory evacuation order got caught in a storm surge of up to seven feet and were forced to higher ground.

"The water levels rose so quickly literally I would say within 30 minutes we had four feet of water and it kept rising," said Benny Lacks.

Those who were able to, left by boat.

-- Omar Villafranca

Officials urged to "show your faces" in the Bahamas

A volunteer firefighter in the Bahamas called on government officials to come to the remote islands hit by Dorian. "People are getting violent, angry, upset, and we're trying to get our government officials- if you guys do see this, please come down here and show your faces," Greg Johnson told CBS News on Treasure Cay.

"We need you guys to show your faces here, so the people can understand and know that you guys care," Johnson said. "At this point in time, we are on our own, and the U.S. is the only place that is helping us."

Renowned chef José Andrés has been delivering food to people through his nonprofit organization, World Central Kitchen. Andrés told CBS News he asked Bahamian authorities where they'd like him to go, and he didn't receive a response.

--David Begnaud

Canadian Hurricane Center issues watches and warnings

The Canadian Hurricane Center has issued a hurricane warning for eastern Nova Scotia from Hubbards to Avonport. Hurricane watches were issued for southwestern Nova Scotia from Avonport to Hubbards, Prince Edward Island, the Magdalen Islands and southwestern Newfoundland from Parson's Pond to Indian Harbour.

Tropical storm warnings were issued for Prince Edward Island and southwestern Nova Scotia from Avonport to Hubbards. Tropical storm watches were issued from Fundy National Park to Shediac, from Boat Harbour to Parson's Pond and from Indian Harbour to Stone's Cove.

Chef José Andrés is bringing thousands of meals to the Bahamas

Chef José Andrés, whose World Central Kitchen delivers meals after natural disasters, has taken his mission to a remote island cut off by Hurricane Dorian. CBS News went with Andrés to Green Turtle Cay in the Bahamas.

Andres took off from Nassau with a helicopter full of so much water and food that some of it was in his lap.

"We are going to deliver 7,400 meals. But for me, this is half of what we are supposed to be doing already," he said.

When he landed in Green Turtle Cay, people were waiting. On the island of just 550 people, it looked as though most every structure was damaged or destroyed. People said they have no power, and they need help.

From there, Andrés headed for Treasure Cay. A woman at the community center told the chef what they need for the community of roughly 1,500 people. "What we need is pasta, pasta sauce, can goods, rice, grits, shelf stable," she said.

-- David Begnaud

​"I should have been dead": Survivors face uncertain future in Bahamas

Neighborhoods have been destroyed after Dorian's 185 mph winds tore through the Bahamas. Some people are just learning the fate of their loved ones.

"Glad to be alive. This is the second time in my life I should have been dead," said Doug, a 75-year-old man who did not want to give his last name.

He told "CBS Evening News" a harrowing story of survival after his home, a boat, was swept away, leaving him in debris-filled water. He was rescued from Abaco Island Wednesday and flown to Princess Margaret Hospital, just in time, he said, to save his legs from amputation.

"I believe in God," he said.

About 13 miles from the hospital, helicopters continue to fly in survivors, like 1-year-old Reign and her mother, Ostina Dean.

"What kept me going was the child, that was it. I looked at her and I was like no, my baby's not going out like this," Dean said.

Her entire family was rescued from Abaco Island on Thursday, including 11-year-old Zion. His young eyes witnessed far more than any child should ever have to.

"My heart just stop like it... I was panicking. I opened my eyes wide. I couldn't believe what I was seeing," he said.

-- Nikki Battiste