Fisherman had to watch wife drown during Hurricane Dorian as raging storm surge claimed home

A crab fisherman who became trapped with his wife in their flooded home during Hurricane Dorian had to watch her drown as storm surges claimed the entire residence.

Howard Armstrong told CNN he and his wife, Lynn, were standing on kitchen cabinets in their house in Freeport, located on the island of Grand Bahama, as frigid water rose all around them until just their heads remained above water.

"We were doing all right until the water kept coming up, and all the appliances were going around the house, like the washer machine," Armstrong told the outlet.

The fisherman said he and his wife remained submerged up to their necks for hours until, eventually, Lynn succumbed to hypothermia and drowned. He said he then swam outside the home in search of help until he spotted his boat, which he was able to board.

"She was gone so quickly," he recalled.

At least seven people are dead in the wake of Hurricane Dorian, after the Category 5 monster walloped multiple islands in the Bahamas, with Abaco and Grand Bahama, known for their golf courses and all-inclusive resorts, suffering the brunt of the damage.

Officials say the death toll is almost certain to rise, as emergency responders have not yet been able to reach some of the most devastated regions.

The hurricane, which has since been downgraded to a Category 2, is now making its way up the U.S.'s East Coast, where it may impact Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas on Thursday and Friday, according to the Associated Press.