Families bundled into tractors as fierce Hurricane Dorian strikes

Hurricane Dorian was crawling across the Bahamas this morning as it battered the islands with 185mph winds that destroyed homes, shredded roofs and toppled power lines, with hundreds of thousands of Americans now preparing to evacuate as the storm moves into their path.



The Category 5 hurricane was lingering over the island of Grand Bahama today, causing 'catastrophic conditions' as it moved westward at just 1mph, wrecking 13,000 homes and leaving an airport under five feet of water.



Dorian made landfall with wind speeds of 185mph yesterday, making it the second-strongest Atlantic storm on record, and the joint-strongest ever to hit land.



A seven-year-old boy is believed to have drowned in the storm, which brought gusts up to 225mph and up to 30 inches of rain. Experts have warned of a possible storm surge that could send destructive waves barreling into the coast.



The storm is expected to move towards Florida later on Monday, as coastal dwellers flee their homes in Georgia, Florida and South Carolina amid warnings of 'life-threatening' weather conditions.



The U.S. seaboard is not currently forecast to take a direct hit, but experts say the storm is still 'extremely dangerous' and even a glancing blow could bring torrential rain and destructive winds.



In addition, Dorian could yet veer off course and hit the mainland, with Orlando and even Walt Disney World potentially under threat if the path of the storm changes.



'This storm at this magnitude could really cause massive destruction. Do not put your life in jeopardy by staying behind when you have a chance to get out,' warned Florida Governor Ron DeSantis.



In Washington, President Donald Trump met with his emergency management chiefs and declared 'this looks monstrous.'