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Email: tchristensen@findlay.edu
Twitter: @taychristensen1
States along the coast were terrified as Hurricane Dorian made its way North after sweeping through and devastating the Bahamas. As the category 3 hurricane moved along the coast, it was rapidly changing. The National Hurricane Center reported the hurricane as bringing life threatening storm surge, winds, heavy rain, and tornados to portions of the Carolinas.
Dorian first hit the Bahamas as a category five storm, where destroyed thousands of homes. According to CNN, the storm has officially killed over 45 people. There are still thousands not accounted for.
After traveling north toward Canada, the hurricane made landfall over Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, at 8:35 a.m. EDT on Sept. 6. The winds were measured at 90 mph, according to The Weather Channel. Then continuing its track North, Dorian reached Canada. The hurricane made landfall in Sambro Creek, Nova Scotia, leaving upwards of 380,000 people without power, according to the Associated Press.
After ripping through the Southern coast of the United States, Dorian finally retreated into the ocean as of 11 p.m. EDT, Sunday Sept. 7. It was about 375 miles north of Cape Race, Newfoundland and Labrador, according to CBS News.
Erin Butler, a Sophomore at the University of Findlay, is from Asheville, North Carolina. Dorian brought winds and rains towards her hometown but nothing too severe.
“Although Hurricane Dorian did not devastate my community, we were prepared if something suddenly changed,” Butler said.
Living in North Carolina, Butler has experienced previous hurricanes in her lifetime. Her and her family have faced repercussions from Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Florence in 2018.
“Our hometown was pretty devasted by Katrina, we had parking lots of cars floating, and the French Broad River overflowed into a lot of homes,” said Butler. “Experiencing Katrina made me realize hurricanes are no joke. The aftermath of that hurricane being so close to my home was terrifying. They do make my family and I uneasy, but we just try to stay prepared if anything does happen.”
Only six hours from Butler’s hometown, the citizens of Emerald Isle, North Carolina are left stranded due to a hurricane-fueled tornado, destroying many homes on the coast of North Carolina. The aftermath of the hurricane is so bad, residents are scared they may never be able to go back to their old lives there.
Those affected by Dorian may never fully recover from the devastation. However, if you feel the need to help those who need it most, visit https://www.redcross.org/about-us/news-and-events/news/2019/red-cross-ready-to-help-as-dorian-nears-us.html to see how you can help with the relief effort.
