Residents of Freeport ventured out for the first time on today (NZT) since Hurricane Dorian came ashore as a Category 5 storm battering the Bahamas.
Resident Roger Adams drove his vehicle through flood waters to see if he could restock his fuel supply for his generator.
"Everybody is flooded out east on the waterway out there," he said, before turning around and driving home.
"A friend of ours his house is 12 feet above the water and I heard he's got water on the first floor."
Practically parking over the Bahamas for a day and a half, Hurricane Dorian pounded away at the islands in a watery onslaught that devastated thousands of homes, trapped people in attics and crippled hospitals.
At least five deaths were reported, with the full extent of the damage far from clear.
The United Nations and the International Red Cross began mobilising to deal with the unfolding humanitarian crisis in the wake of the most powerful hurricane on record ever to hit the Bahamas.
Dorian's punishing winds and torrential rain battered the islands of Abaco and Grand Bahamas, which have a combined population of about 70,000 and are known for their marinas, golf courses and all-inclusive resorts.
Hurricane Dorian has weakened to a Category 2 storm as it continues to batter the Bahamas with life-threatening storm surge.
The US National Hurricane Center said Dorian's maximum sustained winds have now decreased to near 175km/h, but it's expected to remain a powerful hurricane during the next few days.
As of 10.30am NZT Dorian is centred about 70km north of Freeport in the Bahamas and is moving northwest at about 4km/h.
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