Florida & # 039; s Panhandle faces & # 039; Hurricane of a century & # 039;

Florida & # 039; s Panhandle faces & # 039; Hurricane of a century & # 039; https://www.eresviral.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Florida-amp-039-s-Panhandle-enfrenta-amp-039-huracán-de-un-siglo-amp-039

Florida & # 039; s Panhandle faces & # 039; Hurricane of a century & # 039;







TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - Powerful Hurricane Michael approached the northwest coast of Florida on Wednesday with the threat of catastrophic surges of seawater and winds that destroy the roof, and the governor of the state said it would be the worst hurricane. in the region one century. 

Authorities told residents along the affected areas of Florida's Gulf Coast that they had run out of time to evacuate and had to duck. 

A very dangerous category 4 storm on the five-step Saffir-Simpson scale, Michael strengthened by moving north over the Gulf of Mexico and by 8 am Eastern Time (1200 GMT) he was carrying maximum winds of 145 miles per hour (230 km per hour), said the National Hurricane Center. 

It was scheduled to make landfall Wednesday night in the Florida Panhandle and could lead to seawater levels as high as 4.3 meters above normal in some areas, the center said. The storm could be further strengthened before it reaches land, he said. 

Michael's threat was compounded by his relatively rapid development, which grew from a tropical storm to a Category 4 hurricane in about 40 hours. 

"This kind of sprung up quickly for us," said Andrew Gillum, mayor of the state capital, Tallahassee, which lies about 40 kilometers from the coast and was preparing for a beating.  

"Honestly, we felt we could have a tropical system and we were not sure where we would go and now we are looking at the canyon of a Category 4 storm," Gillum told CNN. 

More than 2.1 million residents of at least 20 Florida counties were under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders. Much of the area is rural and is known for its small tourist towns, beaches and wildlife reserves, as well as for Tallahassee. 

"Hurricane Michael is forecast to be the most destructive hurricane to hit the Florida Panhandle in a century," Governor Rick Scott told reporters, speaking about seven hours before Michael was expected to make landfall. 

Earlier, Scott said on Twitter that it was too late to evacuate the targeted area and that the people who had stayed should seek refuge immediately. 

Some of the most significant early impacts of the storm were offshore energy production. US producers in the Gulf of Mexico reduced oil production by approximately 40 percent and natural gas production by 28 percent on Tuesday, the Office of Environmental Safety and Control said. 

President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency for the entire state of Florida, freeing federal assistance to supplement responses to local and state disasters.     

The mayor of Apalachicola, Van Johnson, said the city, which could suffer one of the worst storms, was under mandatory evacuation orders. 

"My biggest concern is that some people are starting to take this storm seriously and are evacuating," he told CNN. "And I just hope that the others who have not made that decision leave while the roads are still passable and before the bridges are closed." 

The storm was heading north at 13 mph (20 kph) and was about 90 miles (145 km) southwest of Panama City, Florida, the NHC said. 

STORM "TEXTBOOK" 

"The outer band of Hurricane Michael came ashore here," said Jon Ward in Panama City on Twitter. "The light rain and the thunder have just begun. The winds should be increasing in the next few hours. 









A red flag, warning of dangerous conditions, is seen when Hurricane Michael approaches Panama City Beach, Florida, USA. UU., October 10, 2018. REUTERS / Jonathan Bachman



NHC director Ken Graham said Michael represented a "textbook case" of a hurricane system that was getting stronger as it approached the coast, in contrast to Hurricane Florence, which hit Carolina North last month after weakening in a slow and faltering approach. 

He said the storm would still have hurricane force winds as it pushed through Florida into Georgia and tropical storm force winds when it hits the Carolinas, which are still recovering from the floods subsequent to Florence. It was predicted up to one foot (30 cm) of rain for some areas. 

The region must prepare for "major damage to infrastructure," specifically to the distribution of electricity, wastewater treatment systems and transport networks, Jeff Byard, associate administrator of FEMA, told reporters in a conference call. 

Many state offices, schools and universities in the area have been closed since Tuesday. 

Among the people who had fled their homes was Betty Early, 75, a retired woman who joined about 300 evacuated comrades packed in rolls of makeshift blankets and collapsed cardboard boxes in a primary school that serves as a refuge for the Cross Red Americana in the city of Panama, near the storm. expected landing 

She was not sure how well she would resist her old apartment block with wooden frames. "I am blessed to have a place to come," he told Reuters. "My biggest concern is not having electricity and living on a fixed income, losing my food." 

About 2,500 National Guard soldiers were deployed to help with evacuations and storm preparations, and more than 4,000 more were on hold. Some 17,000 public service restoration workers were also on duty. 

Scott, a Republican who is running for the United States Senate in November's parliamentary elections, declared a state of emergency in 35 Florida counties. 

Georgia Governor Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency in 92 counties in his state on Tuesday. 









Slideshow (9 Images)




The last major hurricane, a Category 3 or higher storm, that struck the Panhandle was Dennis in 2005, according to data from the hurricane center.   





Report of Devika Krishna Kumar in Tallahassee, Florida; Additional reporting by Rod Nickel in Panama City, Florida, Susan Heavey and Roberta Rampton in Washington, Gina Cherelus and Barbara Goldberg in New York, Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee, Liz Hampton in Houston, Andrew Hay in New Mexico; Written by Lisa Shumaker and Bill Trott; Edited by Jeff Benkoe and Frances Kerry





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