Florida braces for 'historic' Category 4 hurricane
AFP / Brendan Smialowski
A car is seen in a deluged parking lot as Hurricane Michael begins to bring floodwaters into Panama City, Florida
Hurricane Michael was on a collision course with the
southern US state of Florida on Wednesday as weather forecasters warned
that the Category 4 storm of historic intensity could be "incredibly
catastrophic."Powerful winds, devastating storm surge and heavy rain were predicted for when Michael makes landfall later in the day in the Florida Panhandle, the finger-shaped strip of land along the Gulf of Mexico.
"The National Hurricane Center is expecting storm surge to be between nine and 13 feet (2.7-3.6 meters)," he added. "Water will come miles in shore and could easily rise over the roofs of houses."
Hundreds of thousands of people were ordered to evacuate their homes and the governor told residents that if they have not already done so it was now too late.
AFP / Brendan Smialowski
People wait for breakfast in a Panama City, Florida, shelter as Hurricane Michael approaches
"The time to evacuate the coastal areas has come and
gone... Hunker down, and be careful," he said. "Don't go out in the
middle of this. You are not going to survive it. It's deadly."The NHC said top winds were swirling at 145 miles (230 kilometers) per hour and that Michael -- a Category 4 storm on the five-level Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale -- could grow stronger still before slamming into the Panhandle in the early afternoon.
At 11:00 am Eastern time (1500 GMT), Michael was about 60 miles (95 kms) south-southwest of Panama City and moving north-northeast at 14 miles per hour (22 kph), the NHC said.
AFP / Brendan Smialowski
Workers board up the windows of Marco's Pizza in Panama City Beach, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Michael
"This is, unfortunately, a historical and incredibly
dangerous and life-threatening situation," NHC director Ken Graham said.
"It's going to be incredibly catastrophic."Brock Long, the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), said many Florida buildings were not built to withstand a storm above the strength of a Category 3 hurricane.
"This is the final call for anybody that needs to get out," he said. "Those who stick around to experience storm surge don't typically live to tell about it unfortunately."
Residents of the neighboring state of Georgia should also expect to be heavily impacted by the storm, the FEMA head said. "Citizens in Georgia need to wake up and pay attention," Long said.
AFP / Brendan Smialowski
Pets in a shelter in Panama City, Florida, ahead of Hurricane Michael
Mike Thomas, the mayor of Panama City Beach, a resort
west of Panama City, said he expected there would be casualties and that
emergency personnel would not go out when winds get over 50 miles per
hour (80 kph)."It's going to be horrible," Thomas told CNN. "We're going to get some people hurt."
The National Weather Service office in the state capital Tallahassee issued a dramatic appeal for people to comply with evacuation orders.
- 'Leave NOW' -
AFP / Brendan Smialowski
People fill bags with sand ahead of Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida
"Hurricane Michael is an unprecedented event and cannot
be compared to any of our previous events. Do not risk your life, leave
NOW if you were told to do so," it said.The NWS said it had found no record of any previous Category 4 hurricanes that made landfall in the Panhandle or the "Big Bend" coastal region.
President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for Florida, freeing up federal funds for relief operations and providing the assistance of FEMA, which has more than 3,000 people on the ground.
AFP / Tatiana MAGARINOS
The forecast trajectory of Hurricane Michael
State officials issued disaster declarations in Alabama
and Georgia and the storm is also expected to bring heavy rainfall to
North and South Carolina.The Carolinas are still recovering from Hurricane Florence, which left dozens dead and is estimated to have caused billions of dollars in damage last month.
Last year saw a string of catastrophic storms batter the western Atlantic -- including Irma, Maria and Harvey, which caused a record-equaling $125 billion in damage when it flooded the Houston metropolitan area.
Scientists have long warned that global warming will make storms more destructive, and some say the evidence for this may already be visible.
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