Hurricane Michael Leaves Florida Panhandle In Shambles; Takes Aim At Georgia, Carolinas

Hurricane Michael, according to climate scientists, was supposed to affect the Florida Panhandle as a tropical storm. Residents there were not too concerned, and most had decided to ride out the storm. But in two days, the storm grew to become one of the most powerful hurricanes to make landfall on the continental U.S., slamming the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday afternoon at 155 miles per hour — only two points shy of a Category 5 hurricane — and wreaking widespread havoc across dozens of locals.

Pictures showing widespread hurricane damage to the Panhandle were surreal and heartbreaking. Scattered debris where homes once stood; impossibly mangled power lines marred the streets; submerged structures whose only visible portions were their roofs, most of them being homes; trains, trucks and cars wrecked to all corners of roads — overcome by the force of Hurricane Michael’s winds; and useless vehicle alarms noised the rain-soaked, empty streets.

“Hurricane Michael is the worst storm that the Florida Panhandle has ever seen,” said Gov. Rick Scott of Florida, where 375,000 people were ordered evacuated from the western part of the state. Police confirmed that a man in Greensboro, Fla, died late Wednesday after a tree crashed onto his home.

A look at what houses in #Mexico Beach, #Florida look like right now. This is a follow up from the previous clip posted. They are now submerged and were no match for #HurricaneMichael (via Tessa Talarico) #Hurricane #Michael #HurricaneMichael2018 pic.twitter.com/GJENrhFJha

— Josh Benson (@WFLAJosh) October 10, 2018

The Florida Panhandle had not seen a storm so powerful in a 167 years of record-keeping.

And a proper understanding of the storm’s damage to Florida will not be known until the sun rises Thursday, when emergency personnel will have a better understanding the of devastation. There were many calls for help while the storm was lashing the Panhandle with unforgiving winds and rains, but emergency personnel were hunkered down themselves, unable to take action in such deadly conditions.

Florida’s government said nearly 6,700 people were in 54 shelters and that close to 30,000 customers lost electricity before the storm’s landfall, according to the New York Times. A series of transformer explosions and other mishaps knocked out power to 388,000 homes and businesses, the governor’s office reported. The National Guard activated 3,500 troops, and the authorities said 1.5 million meals were ready to be distributed. Some one million gallons of water were also prepared.

“Unfortunately, this is a Gulf Coast hurricane of the worst kind because all of the elements associated with hurricanes come into play,” Brock Long, the chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said Wednesday after he briefed President Trump in the Oval Office.

DEVASTATION: Hurricane Michael left buildings destroyed in Panama City, Florida as it made landfall.

(Video courtesy: Gary Schmitt / Live Storms Media) pic.twitter.com/dQNdz1WSDK

— CBS Austin (@cbsaustin) October 10, 2018

The president was expected to visit the region on Sunday, and he pledged the federal government’s full support to the affected states during a rally in Pennsylvania on Wednesday night.

“All of America sends its unwavering love and support,” he said at the rally. “We will spare no effort, no expense, no resource to help these great fellow citizens of ours who are going through a tough time right now.”

The storm hurried across Georgia, where strong winds and rains will continue. Michael is now a tropical storm packing 50-miles-per-hour winds, and is expected to bring rains to the Carolinas as well, before heading back into the Ocean North Atlantic Ocean. Michael has staying power; its remnants are expected to reach as far of Ireland and France, according to the National Hurricane Center’s forecast.

Drone video shows a Panama City high school that was destroyed by #HurricaneMichael –> https://t.co/HEMRMVZ5ob

(Brandon Clement / LSM) pic.twitter.com/pKVobd20ep

— Eyewitness News (@wchs8fox11) October 10, 2018

A boat warehouse in Emerald Coast Marine in Niceville, Florida, was torn apart by Hurricane Michael. pic.twitter.com/CX4xZhAZlb

— WDBJ7 (@WDBJ7) October 10, 2018

PANAMA CITY, FL – OCTOBER 10: A stores windows are seen shattered as hurricane Michael passed through the downtown area on October 10, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

PANAMA CITY, FL – OCTOBER 10: Debris is blown down a street by Hurricane Michael on October 10, 2018 in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane made landfall on the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)