Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

Hurricane Dorian news – live: Florida stockpiles supplies as forecasters warn storm could grow to Category 4 on approach to US coast

Follow the latest updates

Joe Sommerlad
Friday 30 August 2019 13:40 BST
Comments
Tropical storm Dorian moves toward Puerto Rico

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

The people of Florida are stocking up on essential supplies as Hurricane Dorian zeroes in on the Sunshine State and forecasters warn it could become a Category 4 storm by the time it makes landfall over the Labor Day weekend.

Donald Trump has cancelled a planned trip to Poland in order to oversee the federal response should Dorian smack the state, where Republican governor Ron DeSantis has already declared a state of emergency and where the president's own luxury golf resort Mar-a-Lago lies just 115 miles north of the storm's expected point of impact.

“It's something very important for me to be here,” the president told reporters at the White House. “The storm looks like it could be a very, very big one indeed."

Please allow a moment for our liveblog to load

Hello and welcome to The Independent's rolling coverage of Hurricane Dorian.

Joe Sommerlad30 August 2019 11:00

The people of Florida are stocking up on essential supplies as Hurricane Dorian zeroes in on the Sunshine State and forecasters warn it could become a Category 4 storm by the time it makes landfall over the Labor Day weekend.

Here's Andrew Buncombe with the latest.

Joe Sommerlad30 August 2019 11:05

US president Donald Trump has abandoned plans to visit Poland this weekend to observe Second World War commemoration services in order to oversee the federal response to Dorian as the storm barrels towards the US coast, with his own beloved Mar-a-Lago golf resort reportedly at risk.

The Tampa Bay Times says the storm could become a Category 4 hurricane by the time it reaches Florida, where it is expected to make landfall by the town of Melbourne, some 115 miles north of the president's favourite glitzy clubhouse.

On Thursday, Trump warned the coming weather front would be "an absolute monster" after it grazed Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands, averting the disaster many feared would be a repeat of the devastation wrought by Hurricane Maria in September 2017.

Joe Sommerlad30 August 2019 11:20

Here's our correspondent Simon Calder on the travel implications of Hurricane Dorian for those with plans in place to jet out for Florida or the Caribbean.

Joe Sommerlad30 August 2019 12:00

The latest on Dorian from FEMA's Pete Gaynor on CNN's New Day.

Joe Sommerlad30 August 2019 13:00

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in