Hurricane Dorian, which was expected to become Category 3 hurricane before striking Florida, has already strengthened to a Category 4 storm, instead.
The upcoming storm is carrying maximum sustained winds of 140 mph with powerful blows. More than 20 million Americans could feel the storm’s impact.
At 8 a.m. EDT on Saturday, Hurrican’s center was around 280 miles east of the northwestern Bahamas and about 445 miles east of West Palm Beach, Florida, the National Hurricane Center confirmed. The storm is moving west-northwest at about 12 mph.
Arrangements are still going on to prepare for the upcoming disastrous storm. Hurricane is expected to approach the Bahamas by Sunday. Storm effect there could raise water levels 15-feet above normal.
The storm is expected to exacerbate land conditions late Monday or early Tuesday. In Florida, people are already preparing for survival stuff, stocking up at gas stations and grocery stores. Georgia and North and South Carolina are also put on high alert.
Hurricane Dorian threatens roughly $150 billion people in Florida, including 668,000 homes and only about a third of those Floridians have flood insurance policies. The Miami area could observe as much as $85 billion in losses if it takes an impact from Dorian.
While Hurricane Dorian is approaching the Florida coast, not everyone is escaping the fierce storm. Commander Rebecca Waddington, Lieutenant Lindsey Norman, and Captain Kristie Twining flew right into the eye of the storm this week.
Their hurricane hunter aircraft collects information for The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), which assists forecasters in predicting where the storm is heading next. But their Thursday flight was historic. It was the first time in NOAA’s history that a Hurricane Hunter’s flight crew was comprised of all women.
“There are more women getting interested in flying and it’s also fun to have that camaraderie because to be honest it’s been a male-dominated field,” Captain Kristie Twining said.