Monster storm <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/slow-moving-hurricane-dorian-pounds-bahamas-menaces-us-coast-247204">Dorian hovered over the Bahamas</a> Monday as surging seawaters and ferocious winds sowed chaos in low-lying island communities, killing at least five people and spurring mass evacuations on the US east coast.

Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis termed the hurricane a "historic tragedy" for the archipelago.

"Thus far, the Royal Bahamas Police Force has confirmed that there are five deaths in Abaco," Minnis told a news conference, referring to the islands where <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/bahamas-facing-hurricane-like-never-in-history-warns-pm-247050">Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 storm</a> on Sunday, packing blistering winds of 185 miles per hour (290 kilometres per hour).

"Teams will go to Abaco as soon as possible for a full and proper assessment and identification," he said.

As Dorian ground to a standstill, pounding Grand Bahama further to the west of the island chain, the Bahamas tourism and aviation ministry announced the start of rescue operations "in parts where it is safe."

US forecasters said the storm would keep hammering the Bahamas overnight into Tuesday.

Watch: Florida residents fill sandbags, board up as Hurricane Dorian spins up to category 5

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For many, the wait for help to arrive has been terrifying.

A text message seen by AFP from a woman named Kendra Williams, who lives on Grand Bahama said: "We are under water; we are up in the ceiling. Can someone please assist us or send some help. Please. Me and my six grandchildren and my son, we are in the ceiling."

Abaco resident Ramond A. King captured scenes of devastation in footage provided to AFP, showing flooded streets strewn with trees and downed power lines and at least one home washed clearly away.

"Look at this," he can be heard saying. "We need help, everything down. Everything down. Look at my roof off, my house. I still got life. Thank God for life. I can rebuild."

"The tornado came from around this side... My neighbour used to live there. His house ain't even there."

Dorian weakened slightly Monday to a still-devastating Category 4 storm, punishing Grand Bahama with "life-threatening storm surge and catastrophic winds," the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulletin.

At 0100 GMT Tuesday, the hurricane was stationary, the NHC said, whipping the Caribbean island with torrential rains and winds of 140 miles per hour, with gusts up to 165.&nbsp;

It is forecast to resume moving westward overnight. "Although gradual weakening is forecast, Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next couple of days," the NHC said.

Fear gripped residents of Freeport, as winds tore off shutters and water began coming into homes, said Yasmin Rigby, reached by text in the Grand Bahama island's main city.

"People who thought they were safe are now calling for help," Rigby said. "My best friend's husband is stuck in the roof of their house with seven feet (2 meters) water below."

Initial Red Cross estimates were that 13,000 buildings may have been damaged or destroyed by Dorian, officials in Geneva said.

'Get out NOW'

Video posted on the website of the Bahamian newspaper Tribune 242 showed water up to the roofs of wooden houses in what appeared to be a coastal town. Capsized boats floated in muddy brown water dotted with wooden boards, tree branches and other debris.

The NHC warned of a 12 to 18-foot storm surge above tide levels in parts of Grand Bahama, accompanied by large and destructive waves, saying that people on the island should "remain in the shelter."

Water levels in the Abacos, swamped by a similar surge Sunday, were expected to slowly subside.&nbsp;

"On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will continue to pound Grand Bahama Island into Tuesday morning," the NHC said.

"The hurricane will then move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late Tuesday through Wednesday evening, and then move dangerously close to the Georgia and South Carolina coasts on Wednesday night and Thursday."

All three eastern US states have ordered coastal residents to evacuate, affecting close to a million people. Neighbouring North Carolina has also declared a state of emergency, as has Virginia farther north.

Florida Governor Rick Scott wrote on Twitter that "a slight wobble West" would bring the storm "onshore with devastating consequences."

"If you're in an evacuation zone, get out NOW. We can rebuild your home. We can't rebuild your life."

'Tear everything up'

In southern Florida's Port Saint Lucie -- a low-income area where mobile home parks stood all-but emptied of their residents -- Dan Peatle, 78, fled his retirement community to take shelter in a hotel.

"It makes me sick. I don't like it," he told AFP as he stepped outside for air before the storm closes in.

"I've been through seven or eight of them since I've been in Florida, since '73. And, they're all the same, you know. Tear everything up, put it back together.

"But, I chose to live here so I might as well live with it, you know."

Monster storm Dorian hovered over the Bahamas Monday as surging seawaters and ferocious winds sowed chaos in low-lying island communities, killing at least five people and spurring mass evacuations on the US east coast.

Monster storm Dorian hovered over the Bahamas Monday as surging seawaters and ferocious winds sowed chaos in low-lying island communities, killing at least five people and spurring mass evacuations on the US east coast. Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis termed the hurricane a "historic tragedy" for the archipelago. "Thus far, the Royal Bahamas Police Force has confirmed that there are five deaths in Abaco," Minnis told a news conference, referring to the islands where Dorian made landfall as a Category 5 storm on Sunday, packing blistering winds of 185 miles per hour (290 kilometres per hour). "Teams will go to Abaco as soon as possible for a full and proper assessment and identification," he said. As Dorian ground to a standstill, pounding Grand Bahama further to the west of the island chain, the Bahamas tourism and aviation ministry announced the start of rescue operations "in parts where it is safe." US forecasters said the storm would keep hammering the Bahamas overnight into Tuesday. Watch: Florida residents fill sandbags, board up as Hurricane Dorian spins up to category 5 × For many, the wait for help to arrive has been terrifying. A text message seen by AFP from a woman named Kendra Williams, who lives on Grand Bahama said: "We are under water; we are up in the ceiling. Can someone please assist us or send some help. Please. Me and my six grandchildren and my son, we are in the ceiling." Abaco resident Ramond A. King captured scenes of devastation in footage provided to AFP, showing flooded streets strewn with trees and downed power lines and at least one home washed clearly away. "Look at this," he can be heard saying. "We need help, everything down. Everything down. Look at my roof off, my house. I still got life. Thank God for life. I can rebuild." "The tornado came from around this side... My neighbour used to live there. His house ain't even there." Dorian weakened slightly Monday to a still-devastating Category 4 storm, punishing Grand Bahama with "life-threatening storm surge and catastrophic winds," the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said in its latest bulletin. At 0100 GMT Tuesday, the hurricane was stationary, the NHC said, whipping the Caribbean island with torrential rains and winds of 140 miles per hour, with gusts up to 165. It is forecast to resume moving westward overnight. "Although gradual weakening is forecast, Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next couple of days," the NHC said. Fear gripped residents of Freeport, as winds tore off shutters and water began coming into homes, said Yasmin Rigby, reached by text in the Grand Bahama island's main city. "People who thought they were safe are now calling for help," Rigby said. "My best friend's husband is stuck in the roof of their house with seven feet (2 meters) water below." Initial Red Cross estimates were that 13,000 buildings may have been damaged or destroyed by Dorian, officials in Geneva said. 'Get out NOW' Video posted on the website of the Bahamian newspaper Tribune 242 showed water up to the roofs of wooden houses in what appeared to be a coastal town. Capsized boats floated in muddy brown water dotted with wooden boards, tree branches and other debris. The NHC warned of a 12 to 18-foot storm surge above tide levels in parts of Grand Bahama, accompanied by large and destructive waves, saying that people on the island should "remain in the shelter." Water levels in the Abacos, swamped by a similar surge Sunday, were expected to slowly subside. "On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian will continue to pound Grand Bahama Island into Tuesday morning," the NHC said. "The hurricane will then move dangerously close to the Florida east coast late Tuesday through Wednesday evening, and then move dangerously close to the Georgia and South Carolina coasts on Wednesday night and Thursday." All three eastern US states have ordered coastal residents to evacuate, affecting close to a million people. Neighbouring North Carolina has also declared a state of emergency, as has Virginia farther north. Florida Governor Rick Scott wrote on Twitter that "a slight wobble West" would bring the storm "onshore with devastating consequences." "If you're in an evacuation zone, get out NOW. We can rebuild your home. We can't rebuild your life." 'Tear everything up' In southern Florida's Port Saint Lucie -- a low-income area where mobile home parks stood all-but emptied of their residents -- Dan Peatle, 78, fled his retirement community to take shelter in a hotel. "It makes me sick. I don't like it," he told AFP as he stepped outside for air before the storm closes in. "I've been through seven or eight of them since I've been in Florida, since '73. And, they're all the same, you know. Tear everything up, put it back together. "But, I chose to live here so I might as well live with it, you know."

Dorian kills five in Bahamas, US evacuates coast

Hurricane Dorian intensified into a dangerous category 5 storm as it approached the Bahamas on Sunday, expected to pound the islands with up to two days of torrential rain, high waves and damaging winds before taking aim at the US mainland.

Hurricane Dorian intensified into a dangerous category 5 storm as it approached the Bahamas on Sunday, expected to pound the islands with up to two days of torrential rain, high waves and damaging winds before taking aim at the US mainland. Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis begged residents of Abaco and Grand Bahamas to head for the main island to escape the "devastating, dangerous" storm. "I want you to remember: homes, houses, structures can be replaced. Lives cannot be replaced," he told a news conference on Saturday, adding that 73,000 people and 21,000 homes were at risk to storm surges, which are predicted to reach up to 20 feet (6.1 meters). The Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Dorian was packing maximum sustained winds of 160 miles per hour (260 km per hour) early on Sunday and was about 35 miles (55 km) east of Abaco. After churning over the Bahamas, it is expected to veer northwest and could spare Florida a direct hit. Communities further north in Georgia and South Carolina raised alert levels on Saturday, with residents filling sandbags as authorities tested infrastructure and hurricane drills. Despite Dorian appearing to spare the United States a direct impact, the NHC warned the Category 5 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson Wind Scale would lash millions from Florida to the Carolinas with strong winds and punishing surf. Most tourists who planned to leave the Bahamas got out before the main airport closed on Friday night. Jeffrey Simmons, the deputy director of Bahamas' department of meteorology, said Dorian will cause prolonged periods of large swells and storm surges along the north coast of Grand Bahama and the north and east coast of Abaco. Potential damage to the Bahamas from Dorian could be exacerbated by the fact that its westward motion is forecast to slow, keeping it over the islands for longer, the Bahamas National Emergency Management Agency said in a statement. Grand Bahama and Abaco are hubs of the Bahamas' thriving tourism industry. But after days of evacuations only 26 tourists are left on Grand Bahama, authorities said on Saturday. "We have been for the last few days asking all tourists to leave the island in anticipation of the hurricane," said Kwasi Thompson, minister of state for Grand Bahama. Meanwhile, a new tropical storm has formed southwest of Mexico and is expected to become a hurricane on Monday. Tropical Storm Juliette is 455 miles (735 km) from Manzanillo, Mexico, with maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph), the NHC said on Sunday.

Dorian strengthens to powerful category 5 hurricane as it nears Bahamas

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Dorian kills five in Bahamas, US evacuates coast

Dorian strengthens to powerful category 5 hurricane as it nears Bahamas