Hurricane Dorian: ‘Extremely dangerous’ storm kills five in Bahamas as Donald Trump plays golf

At least five people have been killed by Hurricane Dorian in the Bahamas, the nation’s prime minister has revealed, as Donald Trump spent part of the day playing golf.

As the Category 4 storm pummelled the Bahamas with 233kph (145mph) winds, triggering huge damage and massive flooding, Hubert Minnis said at least five people had been killed and that more than 20 had been injured.

“We are in the midst of a historic tragedy,” Mr Minnis told reporters, saying the deaths had occurred on the Abaco Islands, which were where Dorian first made landfall on Sunday.

According to the Washington Post, he added: “The Bahamas is presently at war and being attacked by Hurricane Dorian. And yet, it has no weapon at its disposal to defend itself during such an assault by this enemy.“

He said people on nearby Great Bahama island are in serious distress and that rescue crews would respond once weather conditions permitted them to do so.

“This is the time for us as Bahamians to show our love, our care and our compassion,” Mr Minnis said.

“Your compassion at this most difficult hour will bring healing and hope to those who are traumatised by this destructive hurricane.”

As officials in the Bahamas urged residents to find flotation devices and use hammers to break out of their attics if they were threatened by the massive flooding, Mr Trump spent part of the day at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia. Reports said it was the 289th day he has spent at a Trump property and the 227th he has enjoyed at one of his golf clubs since becoming president.

“Our real opponent is not the Democrats, or the dwindling number of Republicans that lost their way and got left behind, our primary opponent is the Fake News Media,” he tweeted before leaving the White House.

“In the history of our country, they have never been so bad.”

Experts said that Dorian had slowed to as little as 1mph, and was pummelling the Bahamas with heavy rain and powerful winds, even though it had been downgraded one notch to a Category 4 storm, which meant it was bearing sustained winds of 233 kph (145mph).

“Devastating winds and storms surge will continue to affect Grand Bahama through tonight,” the US’s National Hurricane Centre said in an update on Monday evening. “Everyone there should remain in shelter and not venture into the eye.”

As many as 13,000 homes in the Bahamas may have been destroyed or severely damaged, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said. Houses in a neighbourhood in Freeport on Grand Bahama Island were engulfed by six feet of water. “It looks like they’re boats on top of the water,” said Rosa Knowles-Bain, 61, a resident who fled two days ago to an emergency shelter.

Dorian was expected to drift to the northwest late on Tuesday and will trawl long the coasts of Florida, South Carolina and Georgia. “Life-threatening” storm surges and hurricane-like winds have been forecast for all three states.

Reports said strong and high surf were already being reported along Florida’s east coast as the hurricane was about 168km (105 miles) from West Palm Beach.

At the White House, staff members reviewed hurricane planning with state and local officials. Mr Trump was being briefed hourly, White House spokeswoman Stephanie Grisham said.

Nine counties in Florida have issued mandatory evacuations. These included for parts of Duval County, home to Jacksonville, one of Florida’s two biggest cities, and some areas in Palm Beach County, home to Mr Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

Ron DeSantis, the Florida governor, urged coastal residents to heed evacuation orders. “Get out now while there’s time and while you have fuel available,” he said from the state’s emergency operations centre in Tallahassee.

Among those being evacuated was Sue Watson, a 93-year-old resident of a retirement community in Kissimmee in central Florida.

“I was all set to stay home until they had to turn the water off,” said Ms Watson, who added that she was not worried for her personal safety but hoped the storm spared the retirement community.

Additional reporting by agencies