Hurricane Dorian Headed Toward Florida And Maybe Bahamas

The Virgin Islands got slammed by Hurricane Dorian. And now the storm is headed towards Florida and maybe The Bahamas.

What was Tropical Storm Dorian was upgraded to a category one hurricane by the U.S. National Hurricane Center on Wednesday.

The National Hurricane Center said on its Twitter feed that the storm could be headed to Florida and maybe the Bahamas, and that landfall could occur as early as Saturday.

The Bahamas put out a statement on Thursday afternoon.

"The Bahamas Ministry of Tourism & Aviation continues to track the progress of Dorian which has been upgraded from a tropical storm to a hurricane," officials said. "As of Thursday morning, the storm is forecasted to strengthen to a major hurricane. A hurricane alert is now in effect for the Northwest Bahamas, including Nassau and New Providence, Eleuthera, Abaco, Grand Bahama, North Andros, Bimini and The Berry Islands.

"The storm is expected to make landfall by Saturday night. All Northwest Bahamas islands, mentioned above, should begin hurricane preparation in anticipation of the storm.

"At this time, all airports and ports in The Bahamas continue to remain open for business. Visitors are strongly advised to check directly with airlines, hotels and cruise lines regarding possible impacts on travel plans.

"Following Labour Day, it is normal for hotels in the Out Islands to close for the fall season. Travelers should check with hotels directly regarding regularly scheduled closures."

CNN today was reporting that Dorian could become a Category 4 hurricane by the time it reaches Florida.

The National Hurricane Center said there are no coastal watches or warnings in effect, but residents in northwestern and central Bahamas should monitor the storm, which may head their way on Saturday. Heavy rainfall there could create flash floods, CNN reported.

"Wind speeds are still at 135 kilometers per hour ... but the Center warned that the hurricane is expected to strengthen over the next few days, and become a major hurricane on Friday."

Florida officials said residents should have a full week of supplies on hand.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center said the risk of dangerous storm surge and high wiinds for the weekend continues to exist for the central and northern Bahamas and for parts of Florida. Officials warned residents to be prepared, and not to focus too heavily on the predicted path of the storm.

The center's Twitter feed at 5 a.m. Thursday morning stated that dangerous winds would continue in the Virgin Islands and parts of Puerto Rico, and that heavy rainfall could produce flash flooding.

There were some power outages in the U.S. Virgin Islands, prompting the U.S. government to declare a state of emergency.

The US Virgin Islands put out a statement late Thursday.

"Now that the alerts, storm watches, warnings, and curfews are lifted, Commissioner of Tourism Joseph Boschulte thanked all tourism industry stakeholders for their quick action preparing for the storm, as well as opening up the Territory for business.

"The storm brought strong winds and rainfall, especially to the St. Thomas-St. John district, but the Commissioner reported that there was very little damage to the tourism infrastructure, and hotels and other accommodation facilities are welcoming guests.

"We are thankful to our partners, including our airlines for sending extra aircraft today to mobilize our residents and visitors in and out of the Territory," said Commissioner Boschulte, who confirmed that all airports and seaports are now open, facilitating the resumption of normal schedules."

Hurricane Dorian made landfall on the British Virgin Islands on Wednesday afternoon as a Category One hurricane.

The British Virgin Islands put out a statement Thursday afternoon, saying they had received minimal damage from Hurricane Dorian according to preliminary reports immediately after the storm’s passing on Wednesday evening.

"A more detailed damage assessment is currently being carried out, however the territory has resumed regular business operations at banks, government offices and most other businesses in the area after an assessment of facilities this morning," officials said. "Airports and seaports have reopened, with air and sea transportation back to regularly scheduled service.

Terrance B. Lettsome International Airport reopened at 7:30am, while domestic ferries have resumed normal service. All International ferry services have resumed from Tortola to St. Thomas, including Red Hook Terminal.

The British Virgin Islands continues to remain in a state of readiness for what is now the peak of the hurricane season. The territory is actively sharing updates on the Department of Disaster Management website throughout this year’s hurricane season.

There were reports of heavy winds in Puerto Rico, prompting U.S. President Donald Trump to blast island officials as “corrupt.” In the end, Puerto Rico appeared to miss the worst of the storm, although CNN reports an 80-year-old man from Bayamon, Puerto Rico died after falling from the roof of his home,