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September 03, 2019

Hurricane Dorian Ravages Bahamas, Turning Toward US

Promo firms brace for the Category 3 storm.

By  John Corrigan

Hurricane Dorian is hovering over the Bahamas after the historic Category 3 storm slammed the country over the weekend. Its 185-mph winds and 23-foot storm surge caused massive destruction on the Grand Bahama and Abaco Islands, with at least 13,000 homes destroyed and five people confirmed dead, USA Today reported. There are 10 active ASI-listed promotional products companies in the Bahamas.

Promo Closings: List of companies affected by Dorian

As of 8 a.m. EDT Tuesday, the storm was 40 miles northeast of Freeport on Grand Bahama Island and moving northwest at 1 mph. The latest forecast calls for Dorian to remain a Category 3 storm until Tuesday night before slowly weakening, but remaining a formidable hurricane as it moves toward Florida (around a Category 3) and northward to the Carolinas (around a Category 1 or 2), The Washington Post reported.

Evacuations were set to start Tuesday in Georgia and South Carolina, as schools, government offices and colleges across the region were closed, The Weather Channel reported. North Carolina issued its evacuation order on Monday. States of emergency were also declared in Georgia, the Carolinas and Virginia. Airlines already canceled almost 2,000 flights on Tuesday to, within and from the U.S. as of 8:30 a.m. EDT, according to flight tracking service FlightAware.

Several promo firms have closed in preparation for the storm. For the list of companies currently suspending operations, and if you need to add your company to the list, click here.