Officials have issued a stern warning to daredevils who’ve been out and about as Hurricane Dorian continues to thrash the Bahamas.
Videos have popped up online reportedly showing one man in an inflatable boat nearly capsizing as a result of Dorian’s 220-mph wind gusts and James Beard Award-winning chef José Andrés getting pelted in the face by rain and wind.
“I want everybody to understand … we are like 90 miles away. Imagine what’s going on in Abaco,” Andrés said in the video posted on Twitter. “This is going to be one of the biggest [storms] ever.”
Andrés is in the Bahamas to help with relief efforts with his World Central Kitchen foundation.
A satellite image of Hurricane Dorian shows its well-defined eye as it moves.NASA/NOAA/UWM-SSEC-CIMSS/William Straka IIIOther videos show locals driving through deep floodwaters.
The National Hurricane Center warned others to take Dorian seriously — and stay inside.
“IMPORTANT: We have seen videos in the Abacos of people venturing out in the eye of #Dorian,” the agency tweeted. “Everyone should take shelter immediately as winds will increase rapidly and unpredictably after the eye passes.”
Dorian slammed into the northern Bahamas on Sunday as a catastrophic Category 5 storm, with 185-mph sustained winds and gusts up to 220 mph.
Strong winds batter Freeport, Bahamas.Reuters