Hurricane Michael, one of the most powerful storms to hit the U.S., devastated the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday. It made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, as a catastrophic Category 4 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph. Buildings and homes were reduced to rubble as streets flooded and winds tore apart the area.
At least one person was killed. A man died when a tree fell on a residence in Greensboro, Florida, NBC News reports.
Video footage from Mexico Beach showed the devastation, massive flooding and powerful winds, as WFLA newscaster Josh Benson shared via Tessa Telarico’s video.
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
ABC News chief meteorologist Ginger Zee revealed massive debris from leveled homes floating behind her condo building.
Damage now from the back side of our condo building in Mexico Beach. #Michael pic.twitter.com/BVAJfPFwkZ
— Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) October 10, 2018
As motion and still photographer Jeff Gammons captured, a bank in Panama City had experienced complete destruction on its northeastern facing side.
Complete destruction to the northeastern side of this bank in Panama City, FL. #HurricaneMichael pic.twitter.com/d1eG2ymZVZ
— Jeff Gammons (@StormVisuals) October 10, 2018
Weather Network storm hunter Mark Robinson captured the churning eyewall.
This is the most terrifying eyewall I’ve ever been in. @weathernetwork @jwhittalTWN #Michael pic.twitter.com/HS0yRGXN5w
— Mark Robinson (@StormhunterTWN) October 10, 2018
CBS 4 News unveiled footage taken by Aaron Rigsby/Live Storms Media, which revealed winds blowing apart homes and buildings in Panama City.
WOW……Incredible video coming in of Hurricane Michael exploding a house into pieces in Panama City, Florida. (Source: Aaron Rigsby/Live Storms Media) #hurricanemichael #hurricane pic.twitter.com/kT2mKOzvjH
— CBS 4 News (@kgbt) October 10, 2018
New construction toppled as waves surged in video footage taken by WDRB chief meteorologist, Marc Weinberg in Panama City Beach.
New construction just collapsed in front of me in Panama City Beach from #hurricanemichael!!! It is going bad fast! pic.twitter.com/CG5R8jcUuf
— Marc Weinberg (@MarcWeinbergWX) October 10, 2018
The devastation reached well beyond the immediate area. In Destin, around 80 miles away from where Hurricane Michael made landfall, ABC News shared video from a restaurant on the beach, which showed waves crashing within it.
#HurricaneMichael generated intense storm surge and completely flooded this restaurant on the beach. This storm is the third most powerful ever on record to hit the U.S. https://t.co/hepTIQfDXe pic.twitter.com/EYAwVsMtgc
— ABC News (@ABC) October 10, 2018
ABC News showed footage shot by a TV crew giving a snapshot of the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Michael in Panama City.
Footage shot by a TV crew in Panama City gives a sense of the damage in the aftermath of #HurricaneMichael, the worst hurricane to hit the Florida Panhandle since the mid-1800s, according to FEMA officials. https://t.co/Xnj5eFo0zF pic.twitter.com/LI0IS4Ze6S
— ABC News (@ABC) October 10, 2018
As the storm moves inland into south-central Georgia with sustained winds of 90 mph, Michael has become a Category 1 storm with life-threatening storm surge. During Wednesday evening, Michael is expected to move across southwestern and central Georgia before turning southeast into late Thursday. By Thursday morning, the storm is predicted to weaken to a tropical storm. It’s expected to hit the Mid-Atlantic coast by early Friday.
