Hurricane Michael: Trump announces Florida and Georgia visit as states reel from devastating storm damage
The storm has left a death toll of at least 16, with the count expected to rise
The latest headlines from our reporters across the US sent straight to your inbox each weekday
Your briefing on the latest headlines from across the US
At least 16 people have died in the wake of Hurricane Michael, one of the most intense storms ever to hit the United States mainland. The storm, as it moved offshore, left behind scenes of mass devastation.
The death toll is expected to rise in the coming days, or even weeks, in the large swath of the American southeast where Michael’s winds and rains pushed storm surges up to 14 ft and tore homes and businesses to shreds. The deaths include at least five in Virginia and seven in Florida.
Michael may have left American shores, but Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) administrator Brock Long says that he expects more bodies to be discovered as search and rescue efforts continue across Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, and Florida. Officials are also working to restore power and services to more than 1.4 million customers who have been left in the dark by the hurricane.
“We’re still in life-safety mode,” Mr Long told CBS News on Friday. “We’re not even close to having discussions on rebuilding yet."
President Donald Trump said he would be visiting both Florida and Georgia next week.
In Mexico Beach and Panama Beach, Florida – communities felt the worst of the storm – entire neighbourhoods were levelled after the storm smashed through the area, leaving behind rubble and the occasional home or business that had somehow, improbably remained intact. But far inland from there, too, the storm topped walls and tore off roofs.
Search teams continue to pick their way through the ruins of Mexico Beach, a city of about 1,000 people. State officials said that by one count, 285 people in the area defied mandatory evacuation orders and stayed behind. Whether any of them got out at some point was unclear.
State emergency officials said they have received thousands of calls asking about missing people, but confirmation of those missing has been hampered by a lack of mobile phone service.
Governor Rick Scott said state officials still “do not know enough” about the fate of those who stayed behind in the region.
“We are not completely done. We are still getting down there,” the governor added.
If you want to see how the day unfolded, see our live blog below.
Please allow a moment for the liveblog to load.
Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Hurricane Michael and its aftermath.
At least 11 people have died because of Michael, officials say. "I expect the fatality count to climb today and tomorrow," Brock Long, head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), told CNN. "Hopefully it doesn't rise dramatically but it does remain a possibility."
As of yesterday, Michael was downgraded from a hurricane to a tropical storm. According to the latest National Hurricane Centre advisory, it is now a post-tropical cyclone.
The centre of the storm is now away from land and is heading off over the Atlantic Ocean.
Despite being downgraded, latest weather reports suggest Michael's top sustained winds are growing again to around 65mph (100kph).
Winds from the tropical storm span up to 275 miles (445 kilometres) from its centre point.
In this image released by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP), a CBP flight crew conducts a flyover of the Florida panhandle in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael as the storm left a swath of destruction across the area near Panama City, Florida.
Credit: AFP / US Customs and Border Protection / Glenn Fawcett
↵CCTV footage from Florida shows waves of debris floating around a residential building on Thursday, the day Hurricane Michael made landfall.
You can watch the video here:
A firefighter died responding to a crash in Virginia, as extreme weather hit the state.
The Hanover County Fire-EMS Department says Fire Lt. Brad Clark died at the scene when a tractor-trailer struck his fire engine at the scene of a two-vehicle crash.
Authorities say two others in his crew have been seriously injured. The truck driver in the initial crash had to be extricated and also suffered serious injuries.
Panama City in Florida is one of the worst hit areas. The devastating aftermath of Michael can be seen in these pictures:
Georgia's electric utility trade association reports that as many as 144,000 customers in the state have been left without power as a result of Hurricane Michael, which ran through parts of the state and caused "significant" damage to utility infrastructure.
But, as the sun begins to shine in the path of Michael, so too are things looking up for residents hoping to power up their homes once again: Just last night there were 177,000 customers without power, and workers are doing their best to restore power as quickly as possible, the association says.
Initial estimates have put the cost of Hurricane Michael have begun to come in, and billions of dollars in damages are expect just for privately insured properties.
Boston-based Karen Clark & Company has released an estimate that $8 billion in insured damages have been done to homes, businesses, industrial and commercial complexes, and cars. That is not in addition to the costs associated with the National Flood Insurance Programme.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies