As Dorian barrels towards the island chain on Saturday, a hurricane warning has been issued in areas in northwest Bahamas, according to an alert issued by the Bahamas Department of Meteorology on Friday.
The Bahamas consists of more than 700 mainly low-lying islands — some only a few feet above sea level. Dorian is expected to be near or over the island chain on Sunday.
Hurricane Warnings are in effect for the Abacos, Berry Islands, Bimini, Eleuthera, Grand Bahama Island, and New Providence in the Bahamas. A Hurricane Watch remains in effect for Andros Island.
The forecast expects Dorian to cause “large and destructive waves” of up to 15 feet along the “eastern and northern shores of Eleuthera and Abaco” on Sunday, and the northern and southern shores of Grand Bahama from Sunday night through to Monday morning.
On Friday, Bahamas Prime Minister Hubert Minnis ordered emergency evacuations for residents from the northern Keys of Abaco to mainland Abaco. Additional orders for evacuations were issued for areas of the island of Grand Bahama.
Both Grand Bahama and Abaco are hubs of the Bahamas tourist industry, which plays a vital part in the island chain’s economy.
Tourists scrambled to leave the islands Friday before the international airport was shut down that evening, Reuters reported.
The director general of the Ministry of Tourism, Joy Jibrilu, told Reuters the country was “still reeling” from Hurricane Matthew in 2016, which pummeled the archipelago with strong Category 4 winds.