After devastating the Bahamas and subjecting the eastern United States and Canada to dangerous storm surge and tropical storm-force winds, Hurricane Dorian has finally moved out into the North Atlantic Ocean.
The storm originally pounded the Caribbean and, at one point, appeared to directly threaten Puerto Rico, which is still in the midst of recovery following Hurricane Maria two years ago. After passing Puerto Rico, the hurricane grew, stalling over the Bahamas and producing catastrophic destruction to the country’s northern islands. In the continental U.S. the storm triggered coastal evacuations in parts of Florida and the Carolinas. The evacuations covered more than 342,000 low-income households, for whom evacuation is extremely difficult or impossible because many lacked vehicles, access to other affordable transportation, and money or credit cards needed to stay in motels.
The storm began to de-intensify after leaving the Bahamas, finally making a relatively brief landfall on Cape Hatteras, NC, as a Category 1 storm. Despite its earlier strength, damage from the storm along the east coast was comparatively light, although areas of the Carolinas did receive substantial flooding and several tornadoes touched down.
The NLIHC-led Disaster Housing Recovery Coalition (DHRC) monitored the storm throughout its progress and maintained contact with partners on the ground as the storm passed. As hurricane season continues, the DHRC will continue to monitor and prepare for the threat of future storms.
Read NLIHC’s report on the Carolina evacuations at: https://bit.ly/2krF09R