In 2017, America watched in awe as Hurricane Irma leveled Cuba to the ground. At 175 mph, it was the most powerful hurricane the Atlantic Ocean had ever seen. Slamming into the Florida Keys as a Category 4, Irma left $50 billion of repairs in its path, becoming the fifth most costly hurricane in U.S. history. With 82 dead, it was assumed that nothing near that devastating would happen for a long time. 

Fast forward two years, and Florida is preparing for the most powerful hurricane the Atlantic Ocean has ever seen, except its not Irma. With sustained wind speeds of 185 mph, Hurricane Dorian is shattering records, and leaving devastation in its path.

However, unlike with most hurricanes, after hitting The Bahamas, Dorian stopped. Currently moving just one mile per hour, Dorian continues to unleash his wrath on the island, with no end in sight. Even though it is still hovering over, Dorian has already destroyed much of the island, with 180 mph winds slamming into The Bahamas for hours, as residents shelter and wait for it to head off and towards its next target.

Where is Dorian headed next? While meteorologists have predictions, nobody knows for sure. Originally expected to slam into the Florida coast, projections have since changed, having Dorian shift northward and heading up the coast before making landfall somewhere in the Carolinas. However, as Dorian inches westward, those in Florida have become increasingly nervous as new models have it closer to Florida than previously, with a possibility of a brief landfall near Daytona Beach before peeling back off towards South Carolina.

“The scary thing about [Dorian] is that nobody knows where it is going to make landfall,” senior Ethan Bacica said. “It could be anywhere from Florida to Virginia.”

The uncertainty of the storm has resulted in four different states along the eastern seaboard declaring a state of emergency. Florida, went a step further, declaring mandatory evacuations in affected zones. The White House has recently declared a statewide emergency in Florida, with aid ordered for all 67 counties in the state.