The government of Canada is urging Canadians not to travel to Florida and the Bahamas as hurricane Dorian continues to wreak havoc in the Caribbean.
READ MORE:
Category 5 hurricane Dorian forces flight cancellations, airport closures
In advisories issued Sunday, the government urged Canadians to “avoid all travel” to the east coast of Florida, from north of Deerfield Beach to the mouth of the St. Marys River, and to the northwestern Bahamas.
“The decision to travel is your choice and you are responsible for your personal safety abroad,” the advisory reads. “We take the safety and security of Canadians abroad very seriously.”
In a tweet posted Monday afternoon, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Canadians are “thinking of all those in the Bahamas impacted by Hurricane Dorian’s destruction.”
“We’re ready to provide support if needed,” he wrote. “And I urge everyone still in the storm’s path to stay safe & follow instructions from local authorities.”
WATCH: Man wades through flooded Freeport home as Hurricane Dorian devastates Bahamas
On Friday, Canadian airline WestJet announced it would not be flying customers to or from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., “until it is safe to resume flying.”
In a post on its website, WestJet said customers flying from Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Fort Myers, Tampa and Nassau are covered under the airline’s flexible change/cancel policy until Sept. 3.
Air Canada, in an update posted to its website on Friday, said the airline has implemented a policy that makes it possible for some customers with reservations affected by hurricane Dorian to make voluntary changes to their itinerary.
READ MORE:
5 dead after hurricane Dorian causes massive flooding in Bahamas
Dorian made landfall Sunday evening as a Category 5 hurricane in the northern Bahamas and continued its relentless assault into Monday morning.
By 10 a.m. on Monday, Dorian was sitting over Grand Bahama Islands, causing “extremely dangerous winds and surge,” according to the National Hurricane Centre.
The storm shredded roofs, tumbled cars and toppled power poles in its wake.
WATCH: Bahamas hammered by wind, rain and storm surge as Hurricane Dorian makes landfall
“These hazards will continue over Grand Bahama Island during most of the day, causing extreme destruction on the island,” the update reads.
The storm’s top sustained winds decreased slightly to 265 km/h as its westward movement slowed, crawling along Grand Bahama island Monday morning at 1.6 km/h.
READ MORE:
Archived: Crews work to restore power after hurricane Dorian slams Atlantic Canada
Earlier, Dorian churned over Abaco island with battering winds and surf on Sunday.
Forecasters say the storm is most likely going to move from the Bahamas Tuesday morning and will curve to the northeast, parallel the U.S. seaboard.
WATCH: Bahamas battered, millions of Americans brace for Hurricane Dorian
Still, the potent storm was expected to stay close to shore and hammer the coast with dangerous winds and heavy surf, while authorities cautioned that it could still make landfall.
-With files from the Associated Press
© 2019 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
