Death toll from storm rises in Florida’s hardest-hit county

Almost a week after Hurricane Michael smashed into the Florida Panhandle with winds of 155 mph, authorities Tuesday reported that 12 people have been found dead in Bay County, the hardest-hit area that includes Panama City and Mexico Beach.

The announcement from Bay County Sheriff Tommy Ford will potentially increase the storm’s national death total to 26 people. But officials have warned that getting a concrete number of fatalities is difficult because of rescue efforts, spotty cell reception and rapid pace of recovery operations.

Prior to Tuesday morning, the death toll stood at eight in Florida, three in North Carolina, one in Georgia and six in Virginia, for a total of 18 at that time.

At least two of the fatalities were in the small beach town of Mexico Beach, which was nearly destroyed as Michael roared through the region last Wednesday.

In Bay County, authorities on Tuesday morning said that Urban Search and Rescue teams have completed 99 percent of their first “rapid” search of Bay County.

Reports Monday said six people re- mained missing in Bay County. That number had previously been 285, but officials think many left right before the storm hit.

Residents also received word on Monday that they could begin to return home to survey the damage.

Overall, in the Florida counties most battered by Hurricane Michael, nearly 16,000 single residences have been damaged and more than 4,000 have been destroyed.

PHOTOS BY SCOTT CLAUSE/USA TODAY NETWORK Firefighters from Jefferson Parish, La., search in Panama City, Fla. The initial search is 99 percent complete in Bay County, where Panama City is the county seat, authorities say.

Drone photos show damage caused by Hurricane Michael in Panama City. Residents have been told they can start returning home.