‘Pray for us’: Dorian snapping trees, tearing off roofs in the Bahamas

NASSAU, Bahamas — As the eyewall of the strongest storm to hit the Bahamas descended on the picturesque island town of Marsh Harbour, Nikieva Wallace watched in horror.

The full force of Hurricane Dorian, a Category 5 storm with sustained winds of 185 mph, was rolling in on Great Abaco, a northern island of marinas, beach houses and wood-frame huts. Already, storm surge had sent waves crashing onto the street, lapping at coastal homes.

As wind and rain pummeled her town, Wallace saw utility poles bend and trees snap like twigs.

“A pole is just about ready to hit the ground,” she said on the phone, trying to keep calm so as not to alarm her 2-year-old son.