At least 13 dead after Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Michael’s death toll rose to 13 on Friday and was expected to climb higher as emergency workers searched rubble and the storm’s grim consequences stretched from the Florida Panhandle into Virginia.
Rescue teams were in the early stages of combing a region razed by a Category 4 hurricane that flattened blocks, collapsed buildings and left infrastructure crippled.
Some of the hardest-hit communities have yet to report any fatalities, and although officials said they hoped they would find survivors, a resigned gloom was setting in throughout the disaster zone.
Dr Jay Radtke, the medical examiner for some of the areas of most concern, including Panama City and Mexico Beach, said he could not release any information on the number of dead in the six Panhandle counties under his jurisdiction.
“We are swamped,” he said. “It’s a disaster zone down here.”
Authorities in Virginia said seven people in the state had died from the storm, including several who had drowned and a firefighter who was responding to an emergency call.
Four deaths occurred in Gadsden County, west of Tallahassee, according to Lt Anglie Hightower, a spokeswoman for the sheriff’s office.
The victims included a man who died when a tree crashed down on his home in Greensboro.
At least 1.5 million customers were without electricity in states stretching from Florida to Virginia. NYT