Mandatory evacuation orders have been issued for parts of coastal
Florida in preparation for
Hurricane Dorian, including the site of Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago Estate. Little over an hour after the Category Five storm made landfall and began wreaking havoc in the northern Bahamas Florida governor, Ron DeSantis announced the evacuation of some coastal communities. Dorian was reportedly packing winds of 185 mph, with fears that gusts could top 200 mph. A Hurricane watch is in force for much of the state's east coast as the storm made its slow devastating progress west towards the US mainland. In some cases the evacuations are mandatory in others voluntary. Tolls charges have been suspended to allow people to make their escape. According to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Mar-a-Lago was included in the evacuation of barrier islands and other vulnerable areas in Palm Beach County. Dorian made landfall twice in the Bahamas' Abaco Islands early on Sunday afternoon. It tied with the most powerful landfall ever recorded in the Atlantic with winds of 185 miles per hour (295 kph), according to the Miami-based National Hurricane Centre. Hurricane Dorian's powerful winds hit Abaco Islands Credit: Rich Roberts/AFP Powerlines were torn down and roofs swept away as hundreds of residents sought shelter in schools and churches. Residents in one block of flats who lost their roof were unable to leave because of the flooding outside. Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis broke down in tears as he addressed a news conference, calling it "probably the most sad and worst day of my life," the Nassau Guardian reported. "We're facing a hurricane ... one that we've never seen in the history of the Bahamas," he said. The Abaco Islands were reported to be under water as forecasters warned it was facing a towering 18 to 23 feet storm surge. Winds were gusting over 220 mph, the NHC said. Around 28,000 Britons people visit the Bahamas annually and the islands have enjoyed a bumper year for tourism. According to the latest projections Dorian, which on Sunday morning was around 225 miles off West Palm Beach, Florida, will batter the Bahamas for up to 24 hours before turning north. Hurricane Dorian Both the European and US models show the hurricane turning north on Monday night with winds still at 140 mph, but remaining offshore. By the early hours of Thursday morning, with the wind have dropped down to around 100 mph, Dorian is expected to be off the shore of Georgia, before reaching Cape Hatteras, North Carolina early on Friday. Even though the centre of the hurricane is now projected to remain off the US mainland, the states of Florida, Georgia, North and South Carolina are still bracing themselves for heavy rainfall and storm damage. “This storm has been particularly difficult, a lot of uncertainty,” Peter Gaynor, acting administrator at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, told NBC’s Meet the Press. Georgia Bernard, right, and Ana Perez are among residents filling sandbags to take home in preparation for Hurricane Dorian Credit: Wilfredo Lee/AP “It’s going to be a slow mover as it gets towards the Florida Coast. The time now is for residents to really prepare. “It is going to impact Florida, it is going to impact Georgia, it is going to impact the Carolinas and now is the time to make those preparations.” Mr Gaynor warned that people should not become complacent even though the projections suggested the hurricane would stay offshore. “I think the mistake most people make is they follow that thin black line and think that is the exact location they think the storm will be in. “Your really have to look at the ‘cone of uncertainty’. If you look at that it really covers the majority of Florida and as you go north great parts of Georgia and the Carolinas. “We are not out of this just yet.”