Bahamians rescued victims of Hurricane Dorian with jet skis and a bulldozer as the U.S. Coast Guard, Britain's Royal Navy and a handful of aid groups tried to get food and medicine to survivors and take the most desperate people to safety.
Airports were flooded and roads impassable after the most powerful storm to hit the Bahamas in recorded history parked over Abaco and Grand Bahama islands, pounding them with winds up to 185 mph (295 kph) and torrential rain before finally moving into open waters Tuesday on a course toward Florida.
People on the U.S. coast made final preparations for a storm with winds at a still-dangerous 105 mph (165 kph), making it a Category 2 storm.
At least seven deaths were reported in the Bahamas, with the full scope of the disaster still unknown.
The storm's punishing winds and muddy brown floodwaters destroyed or severely damaged thousands of homes, crippled hospitals and trapped people in attics.
"It's total devastation. It's decimated. Apocalyptic," said Lia Head-Rigby, who helps run a local hurricane relief group and flew over the Bahamas' hard-hit Abaco Islands. "It's not rebuilding something that was there; we have to start again."
She said her representative on Abaco told her there were "a lot more dead," though she had no numbers as bodies were being gathered.
The Bahamas' prime minister also expected more deaths and predicted that rebuilding would require "a massive, co-ordinated effort."
"We are in the midst of one of the greatest national crises in our country's history," Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said at a news conference. "No effort or resources will be held back."
Five Coast Guard helicopters ran near-hourly flights to the stricken Abaco, flying more than 20 injured people to the capital's main hospital. British sailors were also rushing in aid. A few private aid groups also tried to reach the battered islands in the northern Bahamas. (AP)
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Jason Fitz is joined by Senior NFL Reporters Charles Robinson and Jori Epstein to go behind the scenes on the latest rumors and news around the NFL. The trio start with takeaways from the NFL owner's meetings as Jori was on the ground in Orlando. The hosts discuss the fallout of the new kickoff rule (are rosters going to change because of it?), the two Christmas Day games and what the heck Jerry Jones was doodling in his notebook.
Next, it's time to pull out the crystal ball as the hosts attempt to look into the future for some key quarterbacks, starting with Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy. McCarthy's draft stock has been skyrocketing lately as some rumors emerged that he could go as high as second overall. Charles gives his thoughts and what he's hearing from GMs around the league before moving onto Brock Purdy and whether San Francisco will be willing to pay him when the time comes. Charles dives deeper into the 2024 quarterback class and why every prospect has a massive red flag, and Jori gives us the latest on the Dak Prescott contract negotiations, which seem to be heading in the wrong direction. All signs are pointing towards Dak hitting free agency next offseason. Finally, Fitz wraps things up by asking about Deion Sanders' comments about choosing where his sons get drafted and whether or not player empowerment could be ascending to a new level with the emergence of NIL.