Devastation & Destruction

Hurricane Michael was the third-most intense hurricane to make landfall in the United States, in terms of pressure. It had the strongest sustained maximum wind speed and fourth strongest gusts to hit the contiguous United States. It was the strongest hurricane on record to hit the Florida Panhandle, a region infamous for its hurricanes.

Hurricane Michael made landfall on Wednesday near Mexico Beach, Florida, which is a part of the Panama City-Lynn Haven Area. It was only 2 mph away from being a Category 5 storm, with 919 millibars of pressure. It had a storm surge of 10 feet, which devastated the Florida and Alabama coasts and dropped 9.62 inches of rain. Finally, it struck Georgia as a Category 3 storm, the strongest storm to hit the state since the 1800s. Finally, it knocked out power for over 2 million people, leaving a state of chaos throughout much of the region.

Only one house remains standing on Mexico Beach, a new build built to withstand a devastating storm. Nineteen people lie dead due to the storm, and thirty-five still remain missing. Fourteen FEMA teams have been sent to help relieve the population and 230,000 still remain without power. The storm created approximately 13.4 billion in damage. Hurricane Michael will be remembered by many Gulf coast and Georgian residents and will leave a mark in the history books.