Michael strengthens as storm, targets Fla.
Governor declares state of emergency
Hurricane Michael grew stronger Tuesday as it roared toward Florida’s Gulf Coast, gaining Category 2 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, as a Category 3 storm with torrential rains and sustained winds of up to 120 mph.
“Hurricane Michael is forecast to be the most destructive storm to hit the Florida Panhandle in decades,” Gov. Rick Scott said. “It will be lifethreatening and extremely dangerous. You cannot hide from this storm.”
As of 2 p.m. EDT, Michael was moving north at 12 mph, and was about 310 miles south of Apalachicola, Florida, with maximum sustained winds of 110 mph. The wind speed was just 1 mph short of Category 3 status.
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 threefourths of Florida Panhandle beaches, the U.S. Geological Service said. The storm could inundate more than onefourth 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.