Airports, hotels, and ports closed as Hurricane Dorian belts the Bahamas

Dark, grim, stormy, rainy sky with rays of light. Scary hurricane clouds. Natural element. Stock Photo for your design

The Bahamas has been smashed by the second-strongest storm in the Atlantic, which now looks to be heading for the US.

Following a hurricane warning on 30 August (local time), the Category 5 storm made landfall in the Abaco Islands yesterday, reaching a maximum windspeed of 295 kilometres per hour, and creating gusts of more than 354 kilometres per hour, according to ABC News.

The news outlet reported that hotels and restaurants boarded themselves up across the Bahamas archipelago in preparation for the hurricane, with scores of people ordered to evacuate for parts of Grand Bahama and Abaco.

According to Smartraveller, airport and ferry port closures were issued from 31 August (local time), with Bahamas government spokesman Kevin Harris telling the Associated Press that authorities had closed airports in the Abaco Islands, Grand Bahama and Bimini, but Lynden Pindling International Airport in the capital of Nassau would remain open.

The hurricane, which has already reportedly destroyed homes, overturned vehicles, ripped down powerlines and caused significant flooding, was expected to affect about 73,000 residents and 21,000 homes, according to Harris.

A significant amount of footage of the hurricane and the path of destruction it’s leaving behind has already been shared on social media.

https://twitter.com/leaksreport/status/1168343697701974016

https://twitter.com/DavidBegnaud/status/1168326800218476544

Smartraveller has provided the following advice to Australians on its website: “If you are in the Bahamas, particularly the north-western Bahamas, then exercise caution, monitor local news and weather reports, and follow the instructions of local authorities.”

It’s predicted that the storm will pass over the Bahamas on Monday before heading for the US coast, with Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas all bracing for impact in the coming days.

Latest News

  • Destinations
  • News

APT Launches 2025 Asia Adventures

APT has launched its Asia Adventures for 2025, including new luxury holidays in India, Sri Lanka and Japan. Five new tours lead guests to the highlights of India, including a seven-night cruise along the rarely travelled Lower Ganges aboard the Ganges Voyager. Further south, Sri Lanka’s greatest destinations are revealed on a new 15-day Land […]

  • Cruise
  • Luxury
  • News

Seabourn announces Western Kimberley Traditional Owners as Godparents of Seabourn Pursuit

Seabourn has named Western Kimberley Traditional Owners, the Wunambal Gaambera, as Godparents of the ultra-luxury purpose-built Seabourn Pursuit. It is the first cruise line to appoint Traditional Owners as godparents of a ship. Seabourn Pursuit embarks on its inaugural season in the Kimberley region this June. The naming ceremony will take place on Seabourn Pursuit’s […]

  • Luxury

Malolo Island Resort opens brand new Spa

Fiji’s Malolo Island has added another string to its bow – opening its $1.3 million day spa on Thursday, 18th April 2024. (Lead Image: matriarch Rosie Whitton with spa staff) Located at the edge of the resort’s luscious patch of tropical rainforest, the new “Leilani’s Spa” adds another level of elevated experiences to Malolo’s already […]