With sustained winds of up 130mph reported in parts of the eastern Bahamas, Hurricane Joaquin has been reclassified as the second strongest type of storm: a Category Four hurricane.

No casualties have so far been reported in the Bahamas.

The BBC reports Bahamas Prime Minister Perry Christie said although the government currently did not know the impact of the winds on the affected areas, "We know it's a horrific kind of experience."

On Thursday dozens of residents in the southern Bahamas were trapped inside of their homes.

As reported in Tribune 242, Captain Stephen Russell of the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) said that residents in the area did not want to leave their homes and were refusing to go to the shelters. “The problem is that winds are 125mph so we are not encouraging anyone to move and we will not put out emergency rescue teams in jeopardy,” he said.

Shandira Forbes, a New Providence resident whose mother in Acklins was witness to the storm-induced panic, described the chaos resulting from the hurricane, saying, "People's roofs were lifting up. No one knew, so there was no preparedness, there was no meeting, there was nothing."

The National Hurricane Center has described Hurricane Joaquin as an "extremely dangerous" storm which could affect the U.S. East Coast by Sunday.

The Weather Channel has reported the state of Georgia as well North and South Carolina are readying themselves for severe storms.

The rainfall, which will likely affect the mid-Atlantic to the central Appalachians and the Carolinas, is expected to exceed 5 inches in many locations.

Discussing the potential downpour on Thursday, the NHC said, "These heavy rains are likely to continue for the next few days, even if the center of Joaquin stays offshore.”