Hurricane Michael Makes Landfall

(October 10, 2018) – Hurricane Michael made landfall as a catastrophic, unprecedented Category 4 storm on the Florida Panhandle and Big Bend area today, as buildings along the coast were ripped apart and storm-surge flooding erased beaches in a matter of hours.

Hours before landfall, reports of damage and flooding were relayed from the coast. Residents who refused to evacuate were cut off when bridges were closed, including along St. George Island, where some called for help this morning but were told crews would not be able to reach them.

Hurricane Michael hit the coast as a storm with a life-threatening storm surge and over 100 mph winds possible not just near the coast, but also inland that could leave some areas without power for over a week.

Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, around 1:30 p.m. EDT with maximum sustained winds of 155 mph and a minimum pressure of 919 millibars.

By 3 p.m, about 250,000 homes and businesses were without power statewide, most of which were in the areas impacted by the storm.

This is the worst storm that the Florida Panhandle has seen in more than 100 years.

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