Joaquin, an “extremely dangerous” category 4 hurricane, early yesterday lashed the central Bahamas with 215kph winds as jittery residents of the US east coast battened down fearing they might be next.
Joaquin was “still pounding the central Bahamas” yesterday morning, the Miami-based National Hurricane Center said, about three hours after reporting that the storm was “meandering over the central Bahamas.”
Big and slow-moving, Joaquin was expected to be over the northwestern Bahamas later yesterday.
Classified as an “extremely dangerous” storm, Joaquin is capable of inflicting death and destruction with sustained winds, the center said.
Hurricane force winds extended up to 80km from its center and tropical force winds up to 298km outward.
Classes were called off in the Bahamas, some flights were canceled and cruise ships headed for the popular vacation destination were diverted elsewhere.
Cuban officials issued a tropical storm warning for much of the southeastern part of the island, meaning that hurricane conditions are expected somewhere within the warning area.
On its current path, Joaquin was likely to cause coastal flooding in the US mid-Atlantic region, forecasters said.
Emergency preparations began as far north as New York, and officials in the Bahamas urged people to brace for up to 37cm of rain.
US President Barack Obama was briefed on the preparations, the White House said.
Residents of the eastern US cleared grocery shelves of water, milk and other essentials before the storm’s arrival.
Since Joaquin is moving slowly “a catastrophic situation may unfold” in the Bahamas “with a prolonged period of intense hurricane conditions,” according to www.weather.com.
Torrential rains are likely in the Carolinas and Virginia, US media reported.
A dangerous and life-threatening storm surge will raise water levels by as much as 3m above normal tide levels in parts of the central Bahamas, the reports said.
The Bahamas are an island chain that at its most northern point sits off the coast of southern Florida.
In Virginia, which was on Tuesday hit by flash flooding, the governor declared a state of emergency to prepare for more rain even before Joaquin arrives. Authorities in New Jersey did the same.
“The forecast of up to 10 inches [25.4cm] of rain in areas across Virginia could result in floods, power outages and a serious threat to life and property,” Virginia Governor Terry McAuliffe said.
In Virginia, the Norfolk Naval Station, the biggest US naval base, was warned that the storm could bring destructive winds.
Local NBC affiliate WAVY reported that ships were told to be prepared to get under way within 48 hours if necessary.
Joaquin is the third hurricane of this Atlantic storm season, which began in June and ends next month. Peak activity usually occurs in September.
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