Hurricane Dorian, the unpredictable monster of a storm that has pummeled parts of the Bahamas for the past 24 hours, has been downgraded to a Category 3 storm as it remains in a standstill near Grand Bahama.

The National Hurricane Center said in a news release at 6 a.m. ET, that the storm is continuing to produce wind gusts of up to 120 mph and a storm surge of 10-to-15 feet “with higher destructive waves.” The storm’s current movement is considered stationary.

Bahamian Prime Minister Hubert Minnis said at least five people were killed and dozens were injured. The storm has continued to impact the islands so it is difficult to determine the extent of damage, which will likely be historic.

Officials in the Bahamas have reported more than 2,000 distress messages, including reports of a 5-month-old baby stranded on a roof.

Dorian unleashed massive flooding across the Bahamas on Monday, pummeling the islands with so much wind and water that officials urged people to find floatation devices and grab hammers to break out of their attics if necessary.

Residents in Florida have been trying to track the slow-moving storm as it sits about 105 miles east of West Palm Beach. There have been signs that the storm will make a northern turn.

Derek Giardino of the National Weather Service said the probabilities of Dorian making a direct hit on the state’s landfall has diminished, but “is not completely ruled out.”

Officials said the track would carry the storm “dangerously close to the Florida east coast late today through tomorrow night and then move dangerously close to the Georgia and South Carolina coasts on Wednesday night and Thursday.”

While it was expected to stay offshore, meteorologist Daniel Brown cautioned that “only a small deviation” could draw the storm’s dangerous core toward land.

Hundreds of thousands of people in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina were ordered to evacuate before the storm rolls up the Eastern Seaboard, bringing the possibility of life-threatening storm-surge flooding even if the storm’s heart stays offshore, as forecast. Several large airports announced closures and many flights were cancelled for Monday and Tuesday.