Florida's panhandle braces for Hurricane Michael
46 views · Published 15 October 2018 · 3:42 · Indexed 20 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(10 Oct 2018) The storm surge from Hurricane Michael has come ashore and is growing deeper. According to a National Hurricane Center update, a National Ocean Service water level station at Apalachicola reported over 4 feet (1 meter) of inundation above ground level by midmorning Wednesday. Forecasters have said the hurricane could push up to 14 feet (4 meters) of ocean water ashore in Apalachicola, surging over normal tides. Waves are already gnawing away at the base of sand dunes at Panama City Beach. One Panama City resident, Bob Barnett, says he hasn't left yet because of his house and boat. "The next plan is to go back and look at the house and if it gets really scary and the trees get ... look like they are going to go around me, I am outta here, one way or another. " Officials are upset that holdouts will soon be surrounded by water. About 50 people resisted evacuating from St. George Island, and two people on Dog Island, which is only accessible by boat, also ignored evacuation orders. Franklin County emergency management coordinator Tress Dameron told The News Herald in Panama City that people who stayed better be wearing their life jackets. FEMA Director Brock Long says his agency has nearly 3,000 people in the field ready to assist with Hurricane Michael. He says teams and aircraft are ready to support any search and rescue missions in Florida or elsewhere, and that staging areas with commodities needed after storms have been set up in Atlanta and at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama. Long also warned residents of Georgia to "wake up and pay attention." "Bottom line is this is going to be the worst storm the southwest Georgia and central Georgia seen in many many decades, if not the worst storm that the state has seen and it's going to pass through and impact numerous counties," he said. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/cc084c35fa3929bf54604079f0d89449
