The Consulate of the Republic of Haiti in Orlando informs the Haitian Community of Central Florida that the Consulate will be closed on Monday, September 2 and Tuesday, September 3, 2019, in anticipation of the passage of the powerful hurricane Dorian in the region.

The dangerous Hurricane Dorian, which has just risen to category 5 on the Saffir-Simpson wind scale (the maximum level) with winds that have increased to nearly 260 km / h, poses a serious potential danger for Florida. Consequently, the Haitian Consulate recommends that the Haitian Community of Central Florida adopt a responsible attitude in this emergency situation, paying particular attention to children, the elderly and persons with reduced mobility in order to the fully safety of families and the Community as a whole.

The staff of the Consulate, while remaining concerned and supportive, invites the Community to respect the safety instructions of the local authorities and to follow all the progress of the event in the appropriate media for the latest information.

The staff of the Consulate remains at your disposal at the emergency number: 407-781-6684

If you need temporary shelters, please contact the officials at the phone number corresponding to your locality from the following list :

In the latest 8:00 am bulletin on this Sunday, September 1, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) states that the center of Hurricane Dorian was located near latitude 26.5 North and longitude 76, West.

On this track, the core of extremely dangerous Hurricane Dorian should be moving over Great Abaco soon, and continue near or over Grand Bahama Island later tonight and Monday. The hurricane should move closer to the Florida east coast late Monday through Tuesday night.

Data from an Air Force Hurricane Hunter plane which just penetrated the eye of Dorian indicate that the maximum sustained winds have increased to near 160 mph (260 km/h) with higher gusts. Dorian is now a category 5 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale.

Some fluctuations in intensity are likely, but Dorian is expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next few days. Hurricane-force winds extend outward up to 30 miles (45 km) from the center, and tropical-storm-force winds extend outward up to 105 miles (165 km).

Learn about level 5 hurricanes :

Wind speed over 251 km / h

Wind 135 knots and waves over 5.5 meters

Category 5 is the highest category on the Saffir-Simpson scale. Hurricanes in this category can cause significant damage to homes and buildings, tear off their roofs completely and even completely destroy them.

Heavy floods can seriously damage the first floors of all coastal buildings and many coastal infrastructures can be destroyed and swept away by swells. Emergency evacuations from residential areas can be done if a hurricane of this magnitude threatens the population.

A lack of drinking water and long-term power cuts can be expected and can even last for several months.

Tropical hurricanes of such strength can be very destructive. Examples of Hurricane Level 5: Okeechobee (1928), Camille (1969), Edith (1971), Gilbert (1988), Hugo (1989), Andrew (1992), Katrina (2005), Deanet Felix (2007), Irma followed by Maria (2017) and Dorian (2019).

SL/ HaitiLibre