Hurricane Dorian leaves devastation in North Carolina

(CBS) - Hurricane Dorian strengthened into a Category 2 storm on Saturday as it veered toward Massachusetts. Dorian was about 180 miles southeast of Eastport, Maine, and 140 miles southwest of Halifax, Nova Scotia. It had 85 mph winds and was moving northeast at 29 mph.

Boats were pulled from the water in Hyannis, Massachusetts, on Friday, and ferries waved their fees to bring residents on nearby islands back to the mainland.

The monster storm was blamed for at least 43 deaths in the Bahamas. It's a number that officials warn will surely grow as thousands of people are still missing. Nearly 70,000 people are believed to be homeless on the islands, the U.N. said Friday.

Video taken by sheriffs deputies shows an overhead view of the destruction left by Dorian as the storm passed through coastal North Carolina.

Thelma Horner, 95, nearly lost part of her home when wind gusts ripped an 80 foot tree out of the ground.

"I'm glad that it's in the street and not in the yard," she said.

Heavy winds on the Outer Banks ripped siding off of homes and snapped telephone poles in half. rough surf from dorian washed away a third of this long-standing pier.

First responders are conducting rescue missions in the heavily flooded Ocracoke Island. An estimated 800 residents defied evacuation orders for the island, which is only accessible by air or boat.

Governor Roy Cooper described the flooding as catastrophic. "Currently, the island has no electricity and many of the homes are still under water," Cooper said in a news conference.

Officials in New Jersey and New York have banned swimming and surfing at their beaches while Dorian makes its way to Canada. The National Weather Service predicts ocean swells as large as 10 feet,.but some locals are not as worried.

More news at CBSNEWS.com


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