Mandatory evacuations in Palm Beach County as Hurricane Dorian approaches

Mandatory evacuations have been ordered for residential structures in Zone A and Zone B in Palm Beach County, Palm Beach County Sheriff's Office announced in a statement on Twitter.

The eastern half of Palm Beach County is now under a Tropical Storm Warning due to the approach of Hurricane Dorian, therefore, the evacuations have been ordered.

The order is effective at 1 pm, Sunday.

Zone A includes mobile homes, sub-standard housing and low-lying areas prone to water intrusion.

Zone B generally includes the barrier islands, land areas north and south of the Jupiter Inlet, and other surge-vulnerable areas south along the Intracoastal Waterway to Broward.

The eastern half of Palm Beach County is now under a Tropical Storm Warning due to the approach of #HurricaneDorian. Due to this, mandatory evacuations are being ordered for residential structures in Zone A and Zone B in Palm Beach County, effective at 1 P.M. Sunday, September 1. pic.twitter.com/I03CRaLK4V

— PBSO (@PBCountySheriff) September 1, 2019

Palm Beach County is one of the state's most populous regions, and the zones named in the evacuation orders cover long swaths of the county's beachfront, including President Donald Trump's Mar-a-lago resort. The storm's uncertain track puts much of Florida's eastern coastal counties at risk of the storm's powerful winds and rain.

The announcement came as Hurricane Dorian's maximum sustained winds had reached 175 mph as it approached the Bahamas. Forecasters say the storm could linger over the islands of the Bahamas for more than a day.