MATT IS BACK
Hurricane Dorian to follow same devastating path as Hurricane Matthew that killed 47 in 2016 as FOUR US states in firing line
HURRICANE Dorian is hurtling towards four US states and is following the same deadly path as 2016 monster storm Matthew which killed 47.
The 150mph storm shifted its path and could graze Florida's coast and continue on to Georgia and North and South Carolina.
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And that’s the same route as Category 5 Matthew took three years ago – hugging the southern east coast of the country while still causing billions of dollars of damage.
The killer hurricane devastated the four states bringing wind and flood damage, killing 47 and leaving millions without power.
But Bryan Norcross, a senior hurricane specialist, told that Dorian is moving even slower than Matthew which means it could wreak more havoc on the sunshine state.
He said: “As it stands right now, coastal Florida has got to be ready for storm surge exceeding Matthew. And higher winds than Matthew. And heavier rain than Matthew.
"Just be ready for that. We’re in a position where you’re talking three, four, five days in advance of what you have to be ready for.
“The threat is real from the Treasure Coast throughout the Florida peninsula. The trend is somewhat favourable — though the danger is still high along the immediate coastline.”
The devastation caused by Dorian could be made worse by exceptionally strong tides called King Tide -which makes coastal areas more vulnerable to flooding.
The super-strength tide happens around the time as a full moon or new moon and this year the King Tides have already flooded neighbourhoods - and the most recent full moon was yesterday.
The storm's winds reached 150mph today - just 6mph shy of becoming a Category 5 hurricane.
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Winds are currently raging over the warm Atlantic waters and is inching towards the northwestern Bahamas, according to the US National Hurricane Center.
The centre says the storm's path is still unpredictable, but Georgia and the Carolinas are now at risk of "strong winds and life-threatening storm surge".
The hurricane has slowed down since Thursday as it was originally expected to make landfall by Sunday.
The NHC still warned Florida residents to say on alert.
They said: "It should be noted that the new forecast track does not preclude Dorian making landfall on the Florida coast, as large portions of the coast remain in the track cone of uncertainty."
Supermarket shelves have been left bare as residents scramble to prepare for the Category 4 storm.
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Floridians left supermarket shelves empty after grabbing water, bread and canned goods in the event power and water are cut off.
At a Publix supermarket in Cocoa Beach, Ed Ciecirski of the customer service department said the pharmacy was extra busy with people rushing to fill prescriptions.
The grocery was rationing bottled water and had run out of dry ice.
Homeowners and businesses rushed to cover their windows with plywood.
Tiffany Miranda of Miami Springs, Florida said: "I feel helpless because the whole coast is threatened.
"What’s the use of going all the way to Georgia if it can land there?"
"You never know with these hurricanes. It could be good, it could be bad. You just have to be prepared."
Jeremy Kichler, a University of Georgia extension agent in Colquitt County who works with local farmers, told local news: "A lot of folks are still recovering from Irma two years ago and Michael last year.
"I don’t know if we can stand another one."
'EXTREMELY DANGEROUS'
Ron DeSantis, the governor, said the Florida Highway Patrol would begin escorting fuel trucks to help them get past the lines of waiting motorists and replenish gas stations.
On Friday, the National Hurricane Center said Dorian had just reached "extremely dangerous" Category 4 status with winds already clocking 130 mph (215 kph).
The first mandatory evacuation orders were carried out this morning.
Residents in Brevard County have been told to start leaving at 8am on Sunday .
Coastal areas could get 6 to 12 inches (15 to 30cm) of rain, with 18 inches (46cm) in some places, triggering life-threatening flash floods, the hurricane center said.
FEMA official Jeff Byard said Dorian is likely to "create a lot of havoc" for roads, power and other infrastructure.
Dorian's Forecast Timing
The Weather Channel
Saturday: Dorian is expected to slow its forward motion and will likely begin to impact the northwestern Bahamas with tropical storm-force winds by Saturday night.
Sunday: Dorian's hurricane siege will begin in the northwest Bahamas as it continues to slow down. Tropical storm-force winds may begin to arrive in parts of Florida. Large swells should begin to arrive at the coast from North Carolina to Florida.
Monday: Dorian may still be hammering the northwest Bahamas as it crawls slowly. Bands of rain, strong winds may affect parts of Florida. How strong the winds will be depends on how close the center of Dorian is to the Florida coast, which is uncertain at this time.
Tuesday-Thursday: Dorian is expected to move north, then northeast near the coasts of Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina. The exact track is very uncertain, ranging from a track far enough offshore to keep hurricane force winds away from land, to a landfall anywhere in this zone.
Friday-Next Saturday: Dorian is then expected to race off the Northeast Seaboard, but could track close enough to bring rain and some wind to the Virginia Tidewater, Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod, before it heads toward the Canadian Maritimes by next weekend.
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TRUMP ESTATE TARGET
The US President said his prized Mar-a-Lago estate is in the path of the potentially deadly storm, which is expected to be extremely destructive.
When asked how concerned he was about the hurricane threat to his resort, Trump said: “It would look like Mar-a-Lago is dead center but look Mar-a-Lago can handle itself.
“That's a very powerful place."
He added: "The thing I'm worried about is the state of Florida because ... this could be a record-setting hurricane.
“Now maybe things change. We're hoping for one element that might happen and that's that it makes a right turn and goes up north just prior to or equal to hitting shore.
“That would be great, but that's a pretty small percentage at this point."
Hurricanes have always been a part of Mar-a-Lago.
In 2005, Trump said he received a $17 million insurance payment for hurricane damage to the resort.
TOURIST ATTRACTIONS PREPARE
Disney World is also on alert as Hurricane Dorian barrels across the Atlantic Ocean towards Florida.
A spokesman said the Orlando resort is “operating under normal conditions” but they are “closely monitoring the path of the projected weather”.
The resort has cancelled weekend sporting events and closing Disney’s Blizzard Beach Water Park on Sunday.
They are also contacting guests with current and upcoming reservations at a number of campgrounds, cabins and villas.
Jessica Armesto and her one-year-old daughter, Mila, had planned to have breakfast with Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy at Disney World.
Instead, Armesto decided to take shelter at her mother's hurricane-resistant house in Miami with its kitchen full of non-perishable foods.
"It felt like it was better to be safe than sorry, so we cancelled our plans," she said.
As Dorian closed in, the storm upended people's Labor Day weekend plans.
Major airlines began allowing travellers to change their reservations without a fee.
The big cruise lines began rerouting their ships.
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The Bahamas is also under threat, with canned food and bottled water disappearing quickly and the sound of hammering echoed across the islands as people boarded up their homes.
Dorian was expected to hit by Sunday with the potential for life-threatening storm surge that could raise water levels 15 feet above normal.
"Do not be foolish and try to brave out this hurricane," Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said.
"The price you may pay for not evacuating is your life."
In Florida, the governor urged nursing homes to take precautions to prevent tragedies like the one during Hurricane Irma two years ago.
That storm knocked out the air conditioning at a facility in Hollywood and 12 patients died in the sweltering heat.
Four employees of the home were charged with manslaughter earlier this week.
DeSantis said the timely message from those arrests is: "It's your responsibility to make sure you have a plan in place to protect those folks."
At NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, NASA moved a 380-foot-high mobile launch platform to the safety of the colossal Vehicle Assembly Building, built to withstand 125 mph (200 kph) wind.
The launcher is for the mega rocket that NASA is developing to take astronauts to the moon.
MOST READ IN NEWS
The hurricane season typically peaks between mid-August and late October.
One of the most powerful storms ever to hit the US was on Labor Day in 1935.
When that unnamed Category 5 hurricane crashed ashore along Florida's Gulf Coast it was blamed for more than 400 deaths.
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Donald Trump warns Storm Dorian will be 'an absolute monster' as he monitors freak hurricane bound for Florida
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