Residents along North Carolina’s Outer Banks awoke Saturday to clear skies, receding floodwaters, and a better look at the damage left by Hurricane Dorian the day before. Ocracoke Island, where about 800 people waited out the Category 1 storm, appeared to be the hardest hit of the barrier islands, with floodwaters invading the first floors of most homes. The U.S. Coast Guard ferried assistance to the island and airlifted out those in distress.

Weakened to a Category 1 storm, Hurricane Dorian’s eye moved over Cape Hatteras on North Carolina’s Outer Banks Friday morning. Forecasters said waves could reach almost to the ceilings of one-story structures along the string of barrier islands. Residents in North and South Carolina coped with power outages and flooding after the hurricane sideswiped the southeastern U.S. coast. Meanwhile, the death toll from the storm in the Bahamas continued to rise, reaching at least 30 by Friday morning.

Rain bands from Hurricane Dorian produced tornadoes across the Carolina coasts as the storm scraped the southeastern United States on Thursday. The hurricane briefly kicked up to a Category 3 but settled back down to a Category 2 with winds at 110 mph. The storm brought flooding to Charleston, S.C., and left more than 200,000 customers in South Carolina without power by midday Thursday. The National Weather Service issued hurricane warnings for the North and South Carolina coasts up to Virginia.

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis on Wednesday reported seven deaths from Hurricane Dorian in his country, but the number could rise as the scope of the devastation comes more into focus. The most powerful storm to hit the Bahamas in recorded history moved into open water Tuesday after destroying or damaging thousands of homes. The U.S. Coast Guard, the British Royal Navy, and aid groups are trying to get food and medicine to survivors and move people to safety. “It’s total devastation. It’s decimated. Apocalyptic,” said Lia Head-Rigby, who helps run a local hurricane relief group.

Hurricane Dorian caused flooding, widespread damage, and at least five deaths in the Bahamas over the Labor Day weekend. The storm weakened to a Category 2 hurricane on Tuesday but remained almost at a standstill over the islands. The National Hurricane Center warned the slow-moving hurricane could bring life-threatening storm surges, flooding, and up to 30 inches of rain to the islands.

Businesses and nonprofit organizations in the southeastern United States are gearing up to mitigate the possible devastation of Hurricane Dorian. Airbnb launched an Open Homes Program to provide free housing for displaced residents and relief workers. More than 1,200 hosts in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas have signed up.

Hurricane Dorian pummeled the Bahamas on Monday with winds gusting up to 200 mph and a massive storm surge. The Category 5 storm was creeping over the islands at 1 mph. Residents headed to shelters before the hurricane, which is expected to leave many homeless.