Michael strengthens as storm targets Florida

Governor declares emergency in 35 counties

Hurricane Michael grew stronger Tuesday as it roared toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, gaining Category 3 status and threatening to wreak historic devastation on a state walloped by Hurricane Irma’s historic rage 13 months ago.

The National Hurricane Center warned that Michael could make landfall Wednesday afternoon near Panama City, 100 miles west of Tallahassee, with torrential rains.

“Hurricane Michael is forecast to be the most destructive storm to hit the Florida Panhandle in decades,” Gov. Rick Scott said. “It will be life-threatening and extremely dangerous. You cannot hide from this storm.”

Michael was moving north at 12 mph, and was about 310 miles south of Apalachicola, Florida, with winds of 120 mph, making it a Category 3 “major” hurricane.

Scott declared a state of emergency for 35 counties. Tuesday afternoon, President Donald Trump approved an emergency declaration for Florida ahead of Michael’s landfall.

Scott also activated 2,500 National Guard troops and made more than 300 state troopers available for deployment.

Evacuations have been ordered in parts of 10 counties. More than 100,000 people were ordered out of a long swath of low-lying communities, including many in Bay County, home of Panama City.

“We’ve practiced this many times. This is game time,” Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford said. “This is the real thing, a significant threat to life and safety.”

Michael could cause erosion at the base of sand dunes along three-fourths of Florida Panhandle beaches, the U.S. Geological Service said.

The storm could inundate more than one-fourth of that coast’s dunes, causing flooding behind the protective dune line, said Kara Doran, leader of the USGS Coastal Change Hazards Storm Team.

Scott said the Florida Panhandle, southeast Alabama and southern Georgia will see 4 to 8 inches, with isolated areas facing 12 inches.

Storm surge could reach a monstrous 12 feet in some areas – enough to “easily go over the roofs of some houses,” he said.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey issued a state of emergency in anticipation of widespread power outages, wind damage and debris produced by high winds. In Georgia, Gov. Nathan Deal declared a preemptive state of emergency for 92 counties.

“I ask all Georgians to join me in praying for the safety of our people and all those in the path of Hurricane Michael,” Deal said.

FEMA administrator Brock Long said the agency was prepared for the storm in all the states likely to feel Michael’s impact.

The hurricane center, citing Michael’s dangerous trifecta of storm surge, flash flooding and winds, described the seventh hurricane of the Atlantic season as “life-threatening.”

The National Weather Service in Tallahassee called Michael “a potentially catastrophic storm” for the capital city.

“Folks are ready from the government side, but we need citizens to also be ready,” said Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum. “They are their best first responders.”

A hurricane warning was in effect for the Alabama-Florida border to the Suwannee River, with a hurricane watch in place from the Alabama-Florida border to the Mississippi-Alabama border.

AccuWeather predicted the storm’s economic impact damage will approach $15 billion.

That’s actually an encouraging total compared with the company’s $60 billion damage estimate from Florence.