FREEPORT, Bahamas-- Residents in Freeport, in the Bahamas, woke up to flooded neighborhoods Tuesday In the wake of Hurricane
Dorian.
A journalist and his family had to abandon their home in Freeport due to flooding. They waded through chest-high water that surrounded their home carrying their dogs.
The photographer working for the Associated Press said he had no idea he would be shooting pictures of himself and his family evacuating as part of his coverage.
RELATED: How to help victims of Hurricane Dorian
The International Red Cross said Tuesday more than 13,000 houses have been severely damaged or destroyed on just two islands in the Bahamas. That's about 45-percent of homes on Grand Bahama and Abaco islands.
A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter was among the initial first responders assisting people affected by the storm.
Emergency crews were preparing to help trapped people in attics and others forced to escape from one shelter to another.
United Nations officials estimate more than 60,000 people in the northwest Bahamas will need food following the catastrophic storm.
At least five deaths were reported in the Bahamas as a result of Dorian.