Dorian, which reached hurricane status late on Aug. 28, roared through the Bahamas and then over the island of Grand Bahama with sustained winds reaching 185 mph (295 km/h) over Labor Day weekend, its powerful winds and storm surge appearing to devastate the islands. Shown here, an infrared image of the Category 5 storm on Sept. 1, 2019. (Image credit: NASA/NOAA/UWM-SSEC-CIMSS/William Straka III)
Hurricane Dorian strengthened into a catastrophic Category 5 storm Sept. 1, 2019, with maximum sustained winds of 160 mph (267 km/h). At the time, the eyewall — the most dangerous part of a hurricane — was about to hit the Abaco Islands. The storm lingered over the Bahamas for days, giving it enough time to devastate the area with winds, storm surge and heavy rains. (Image credit: Lucy Worboys/AFP/Getty)
The beach in Nassau, Bahamas, starts feeling the effects of Dorian on Sept. 1, as the storm approaches. The hurricane was forecast to dump up to 25 inches of rain in some areas of the Bahamas, while unleashing huge storm surges — with water levels expected to rise 10 to 15 feet above normal. (Image credit: Lucy Worboys/AFP/Getty)
The hurricane’s powerful winds slam into trees and a canal in Freeport, Grand Bahama. On Sept. 2, the downgraded Category 4 Hurricane Dorian continued to crawl over the Bahamas; even rescue crews had to take shelter. (Image credit: Tim Aylen/AP/Shutterstock)
Boats that were tossed around by the hurricane can be seen strewn across this marina in the Bahamas on Sept. 2. At least five people were killed by the storm in the Bahamas, according to news reports. Thousands of homes were destroyed, with reports of people trapped in their attics and others moving from one shelter to another. (Image credit: AP/Shutterstock)
On Sept. 2, the Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater deployed helicopter crews to help with support and rescue aid in the Bahamas, where flooding ensued. (Image credit: Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater/Getty)
As Hurricane Dorian inched past the Bahamas, the U.S. Coast Guard prepared to assist in any search-rescue missions as well as humanitarian aid there. (Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard/Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater)
Four MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crews from the U.S. Coast Guard prepare to deploy. (Image credit: U.S. Coast Guard/Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater)
Here, in Marsh Harbor, Bahamas, the Coast Guard’s helicopter crews medevac seven critical patients from the Marsh Harbor Clinic to Nassau, Bahamas, for further medical care. (Image credit: Charly Hengen/U.S. Coast Guard)
Volunteers who helped to rescue several families that arrived on small boats, near the Causarina bridge in Freeport, Grand Bahama, on Sept. 3. The island has been devastated by the storm, even crippling hospitals there. (Image credit: Ramon Espinosa/AP/Shutterstock)
Views of the Bahamas from a Coast Guard Elizabeth City C-130 aircraft after Hurricane Dorian shifted north on Sept. 3, 2019. (Image credit: Adam Stanton/U.S. Coast Guard)
An aerial view of houses in the Bahamas from a Coast Guard Elizabeth City C-130 aircraft after Hurricane Dorian on Sept. 3, 2019. (Image credit: Adam Stanton/U.S. Coast Guard)
Hurricane Dorian made landfall in the Bahamas on Sunday (Sept. 1) as a Category 5 storm. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class Adam Stanton captured this aerial image of the islands. (Image credit: Adam Stanton/U.S. Coast Guard)
An aerial view of a row of damaged structures in the Bahamas, captured from a Coast Guard Elizabeth City C-130 aircraft after Hurricane Dorian shifted north Sept. 3, 2019. (Image credit: Adam Stanton/U.S. Coast Guard)
An aerial view reveals damage from Hurricane Dorian on Great Abaco Island on Sept. 4, 2019. A massive rescue effort is underway across the Bahamas, where roads have been washed out, buildings and homes flattened, and airports are under several feet of water. (Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty)
Another aerial view of the damage seen across the island of Great Abaco in the northern Bahamas. (Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty)
The island of Abaco in the Bahamas. As of Sept. 4, the death toll in the Bahamas had risen to 20. "We expect that this number will increase," Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said at a Wednesday night news conference, as reported by CNN. (Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty)
The New York Times reported on the devastation being felt by residents on Abaco and other islands in the Bahamas. Antonia Nixon, 19, who is from Abaco, told the Times (through sobs), "My house is gone, and I’m in Nassau and I have no clue what my family is doing," she said. "I just want help."
Shown here, an aerial view of Great Abaco. (Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty)
Homes were just torn to pieces on Great Abaco. (Image credit: Scott Olson/Getty)
Live Science newsletter
Stay up to date on the latest science news by signing up for our Essentials newsletter.
Jeanna served as editor-in-chief of Live Science. Previously, she was an assistant editor at Scholastic's Science World magazine. Jeanna has an English degree from Salisbury University, a master's degree in biogeochemistry and environmental sciences from the University of Maryland, and a graduate science journalism degree from New York University. She has worked as a biologist in Florida, where she monitored wetlands and did field surveys for endangered species. She also received an ocean sciences journalism fellowship from Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution.
