Roommates, please continue to keep your fellow Roomies in the Southeastern part of the country in your prayers. Hurricane Dorian is now a Category 4 and has changed track, heading for the Carolinas.
The change happened early this morning when Dorian, now with 145 mph winds, picked up strength and shifted its path. Dorian is now expected to move up the Southeast coast, bringing both storm surge and gusty winds to coastal Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
The current forecast predicts a possible landfall in the Carolinas late Wednesday, according to ABC News. But Florida officials warn residents that even with the shift, they must “remain vigilant and be prepared.”
As Dorian moves, the Charleston area could see up to 15 inches of rain.
“The coastline has expanded so we want to make sure that those residents in Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina are definitely starting to make their preparatory actions,” Jeff Byard, associate administrator for the Office of Response and Recovery at FEMA, told “Good Morning America” on Saturday.
Federal teams are already in Georgia, Byard added.
“We’ll start putting responses, assets and teams in South Carolina and North Carolina,” Byard said.
Even though Dorian will move past Florida, Byard said that doesn’t mean the state won’t feel its effects.
“And even if it skirts the coastline as current forecasts have it, it’s gonna create a lot of rain, wind and damage all through Florida,” he said.
Florida residents have been hunkering down this week as they prepared for Dorian. Some evacuation orders for the state still remain in place.
For the optimists out there, here’s a bit of good news. While Dorian is now expected to hit the Carolinas Wednesday night into Thursday morning, some models predict the storm won’t make landfall in the United States at all.
As residents in the Southeast U.S. scramble to prepare, those in the Bahamas are bracing for a direct hit. Storm surge up to 15 feet and very strong winds are forecast for Sunday night into Monday morning.
“Let me be extremely clear: Those who refuse to evacuate place themselves in great danger from this very powerful and potentially life-threatening hurricane,” Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said Friday. “Do not be foolish and try to brave out this hurricane.”
We’ll keep you up-to-date on Hurricane Dorian, Roommates.
