Hurricane Dorian has strengthened in its race to Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands and has already become a category 1 hurricane with winds reaching 110 kilometers per hour. The US government has announced an emergency declaration for the Caribbean island which was earlier devastated by hurricane Maria in 2017. The measure was adopted after the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration declared the hurricane alert.
The alert was also taken in Florida. According to meteorological department it could arrive in Florida as a category 3 in the Labor Day holiday weekend during that time millions of people travel mainly to seaside resorts.
The emergency declaration issued by President Donald Trump authorizes the Department of Internal Security and the Federal Agency for Emergency Management to provide assistance and coordinate relief in the event of damage caused by the hurricane.
Heavy damage is expected in the central Florida Atlantic coast in coming days if the Hurricane Dorian continue with the same wind speed.
Facts About Hurricane Dorian
- Expected to run from 1st June to 30 November, Hurricane Dorian is the fourth storm of this year which is named.
- On Aug 23 the low pressure system of Dorian was formed which turned into tropical storm on August 25 and on August 28 it turned into hurricane.
- The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicted the normal tropical storm activity in 2019 for Atlantic Ocean.
- The number of storms in a season are around 12. Out of which six are hurricanes with wind speed of more than 110 mph.
What’s the difference between a Hurricane and tropical storm?
A tropical storm has wind speeds between 39 mph and 73 mph. A hurricane’s wind speeds range between 74 mph and 110 mph.
Hurricanes have various categories. The Hurricanes which have wind speed between 74 to 95 and 96 to 110 mph per hour, falls in category 1 and 2. And Hurricanes which have wind speed more than 110 mph falls in category 3 considered major hurricanes.
On the other hand tropical storms cause less damage as the speed is between 39 mph and 73 mph.
Damage Caused by Hurriane Dorian
The passing of the Dorian hurricane in the Bahamas caused Huge damage in the area. Seven deaths were reported between first two days and as the Prime Minister Hubert Minnis expected the deal toll to rise, so far about 53 people have been killed due to Dorian and more than 1400 people are missing.
In the initial assessment of the damage, the Dorian Hurricane caused a damage of around US$7 billion.
Dorian arrived in the Bahamas region between Sunday and Monday i.e 8 and 9 Sep. Initially it was of category 5, then after 2 days it became Category 2 hurricane. On Tuesday evening the hurricane moved away from the islands and the rescuers started to reach areas of the northern Bahamas. The Aerial images taken on Tuesday showed that the winds that hit the islands were the strongest ever recorded on land. Dorian was the strongest hurricane to hit the Bahamas and the second strongest ever recorded in the North Atlantic after a hurricane in 1935 .
Abaco islands where about 17 thousand people live, was the most affected area due to Dorian, where most of the houses and infrastructures were flooded and severely damaged. Primer Minister Minnis said the area around the airport is looking like a lake. Marsh Harbor town where around 6 thousand inhabitants live was also severely affected. In these areas the water level reached up to 9 meters.
Even hospitals and shelters were under water and according to satellite images, more than half of the Grand Bahama was flooded. In addition to this several government buildings including government radio were also flooded.
The reason why Dorian was so harmful was not because of its intensity, but because it stayed on the island for a long time. Many people took shelter on the roofs of their homes. Few helicopters were sent by the US Coast Guard to the Bahamas to help with rescue and evacuation operations.
Dorian Hurricane moved to Northwest after leaving the Bahamas. Although it lost its intensity after leaving the Bahamas.
Tourism to Continue in Bahamas:
Although the damages caused by Dorian Hurricane are still being assessed, the Bahamian Ministry of Tourism and Aviation asked travelers to continue their holidays on the unaffected islands that can accommodate tourists. Deputy Director General of the Bahamas Tourism said, we need support from all around the world and requested people to donate and pray for the Victims.
Aid by European Union
An emergency loan of 500000 was given by European Union for the re-establishment of urgent needs like Housing, water and Food. And further help from European Union is also expected in the coming days for the affected people of Bahamas.