Beautiful Virgin Islands

Tuesday, Jun 24, 2025

Bahamas battered by 'monster' storm; 1 death reported; 13,000 homes destroyed or damaged

The most powerful storm to hit the Bahamas since records began has torn roofs from buildings and caused severe flooding. Slow moving Category 5 Hurricane Dorian still hammering Bahamas

Although the Government of the Bahamas has not made any official reports of deaths, the Bahamas Press and Eyewitness News have confirmed there has been at least one death, a 7-year-old boy, Achino McIntosh, who reportedly died after flood waters rushed into a home where his family stayed on Abaco Island.

The boy’s grandmother, Ingrid McIntosh, told Eyewitness News in the Bahamas that her grandson died on Abaco Island.

McIntosh said her daughter told her that she found the body of her son, who she believed drowned in the rising waters. McIntosh added that her granddaughter is also missing.

“All I can say is that my daughter called from Abaco and said that her son -- my grandson -- is dead. That’s it. I don’t know what really happened. I think she said he drowned,” McIntosh said.

“A wall of the missing is being collected at shelters all across Abaco as families are now frantic about not being able to contact their loved ones. Many are missing and are feared dead following the passage of Killer Hurricane Dorian which landed Sunday morning, packing winds of 185mph,” the Bahamas Press reported early Monday, September 2, 2019.

Dorian nearly at a standstill over Bahamas

The slow-moving, category five Dorian - the second-strongest Atlantic hurricane on record - is now packing sustained winds of up to 175mph (280km/h) and travelling west through Grand Bahama at no more than 5mph (7km/h).

Grand Bahama, with a population of about 50,000, is only 100km (60 miles) east of West Palm Beach in Florida.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) said the hurricane would "continue to pound Grand Bahama Island" through much of the day and evening on Monday.

13,000 homes destroyed or damaged

There was little information overnight from the affected Bahamas islands amid power cuts and limited internet access.

However, some images of the damages on Abaco Island, home to about 17,000 people, reached the internet.

Images showed cars flipped and battered, roofs torn off, and flooding.

As many as 13,000 homes have been severely damaged or destroyed, according to a statement from the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) and extensive flooding has created an "urgent need" for clean water as wells become contaminated with saltwater.

Meanwhile, the British Royal Navy auxiliary ship, RFA Mounts Bay, is due to arrive in the Bahamas today, according to the British Ministry of Defence.

The ship was deployed to the region in June in anticipation of hurricane season and was redirected to the Bahamas when news of Hurricane Dorian broke, according to a Ministry of Defence spokesperson.

The ship carries aid, building materials, a helicopter, specialist transport equipment, and surveying equipment, said the spokesperson.

The ship will be on standby “ready” to help as soon as an official request is made by authorities.

See previous article published September 1, 2019

Dorian now a Cat 5 hurricane; Begins assault on Bahamas

Dorian has begun an assault on the northwest Bahamas as a Category 5 hurricane, with catastrophic winds of 180 miles per hour (mph) and gusts of more than 200 mph possible.

A life-threatening storm surge of up to 20 feet is possible there.

Dorian was upgraded to Category 5 status Sunday morning, September 1, 2019 after an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter mission confirmed winds had increased above 157 mph.

According to the Weather Channel, at around 11:00am, Dorian's eye was only about 20 miles east of Great Abaco Island in the northwest Bahamas, moving west at 5 to 10 mph. Based on current forecasts, Dorian will still be hammering the northwest Bahamas on Monday as it crawls slowly.

Maximum sustained winds have increased to 180 mph, putting Dorian in a tie for the third-highest sustained wind speed among all Atlantic hurricanes. It's also the strongest hurricane in modern records for the northwest Bahamas.

According to the Weather Channel, after the Category 5 upgrade, a dropsonde deployed from a Hurricane Hunter aircraft measured a wind gust of 202 mph in Dorian's eyewall.


Newsletter

Related Articles

Beautiful Virgin Islands
0:00
0:00
Close
“You Have 12 Hours to Flee”: Israeli Threat Campaign Targets Surviving Iranian Officials
Macron and Merz: Europe must arm itself in an unstable world
Germany and Italy Under Pressure to Repatriate $245bn of Gold from US Vaults
Airlines Evaluate Flight Cancellations Amid Escalating US-Iran Tensions
Starmer Invites Innovators to Join Government Talent Scheme
UK Economy’s Strong Opening Quarter Shows Signs of Cooling
Harrods Seeks Court Order to Secure Al Fayed Estate for Victims
BA and Singapore Airlines Cancel Dubai Flights Amid Middle East Tensions
Trump Faces Backlash from MAGA Base Over Iran Strikes
Meta Bets $14 B on Alexandr Wang to Drive AI Ambitions
WATCH: Israeli forces show the aftermath of a massive airstrike at Iran's Isfahan nuclear site
FedEx Founder Fred Smith, ‘Heart and Soul’ of the Company, Dies at 80
Chinese Factories Shift Away from U.S. Amid Trump‑Era Tariffs
Pimco Seizes Opportunity in Japan’s Dislocated Bond Market
Labubu Doll Drives Pop Mart to Status as China’s Most Valuable Toy Maker
Global Coal Demand Defies Paris Accord Goals
We have new information and breaking details to share about what is shaping up to be a historic air campaign tonight
Six Massive Bombs Dropped on Fordow; Trump: 'A Historic Moment for the U.S., Israel, and the World'
Fordow: Deeply Buried Iranian Enrichment Site in U.S.–Israel Crosshairs
United States Conducts Precision Strikes on Iran’s Nuclear Sites
US strikes Iran nuclear sites, Trump says
Pakistan to nominate Trump for Nobel Peace Prize.
BBC Demands Perplexity AI Immediately Stop Using Its Content
Telegram Founder: I Will Leave My Fortune to Over 100 of My Children
Political Turmoil Resurfaces in Belgium Amid Economic Concerns
Fed policymakers divided on timing of interest rate cuts
Trump signals imminent agreement with Harvard University
Inheritance tax referendum alarms Swiss billionaire community
Japan cancels bilateral security meeting amid US defence demands
AI skeptic Emily Bender warns that ‘the emperor has no clothes’
Israel Confirms Assassination of Quds Force Commander in Tehran
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
FBI and Senate Investigate Allegations of Chinese Plot to Influence the 2020 Election in Biden’s Favor Using Fake U.S. Driver’s Licenses
Vietnam Emerges as Luxury Yacht Destination for Ultra‑Rich
Plans to Sell Dutch Embassy in Bangkok Face Local Opposition
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump's $5 Million 'Trump Card' Visa Program Draws Nearly 70,000 Applicants
DGCA Finds No Major Safety Concerns in Air India's Boeing 787 Fleet
Airlines Reroute Flights Amid Expanding Middle East Conflict Zones
Elon Musk's xAI Seeks $9.3 Billion in Funding Amid AI Expansion
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Taiwan Imposes Export Ban on Chips to Huawei and SMIC
Israel has just announced plans to strike Tehran again, and in response, Trump has urged people to evacuate
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Juncker Criticizes EU Inaction on Trump Tariffs
EU Proposes Ban on New Russian Gas Contracts
×