Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/GettyNearly 50 people are unaccounted for after Hurricane Michaeltouched down last weekin Floridaas a Category 4 hurricane, as residents of a beachfront city work to salvage what’s left of their “sweet town,” reports say.Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey toldABC Newsthat 289 people — including 10 children — decided to remain in the city despite evacuation orders as the state prepared for the devastating storm. Both Cathey and a city clerk told the site that 46 of those who remained were still missing on Sunday.“If we lose only one life, to me that’s going to be a miracle,” Cathey told theAssociated Press, noting that he was hopeful about the fates of the missing.The city was “wiped out” after the storm made landfall last Wednesdaypacking 155 mph winds. In the days after its landfall, Michael was downgraded to a tropical storm, causing flash floods, damaging winds, and leaving more than 486,000 without power in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas, according toCNN.Scott Olson/GettyHowever, the devastation seems to have been the most severe in the small city, with a population of just 1,200. The storm destroyed businesses, homes, and even the Mexico Beach Police Department’s headquarters.“We don’t have a building — from my understanding, the water surge moved it off its foundation,” Police Chief Anthony Kelly told ABC. “The officers, I finally made accountability of them all today, two days after the fact. … They’re not just my officers, the people that I work with, they’re my family.”HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/GettyAt least 18 people have died as a result of the storm, including three in North Carolina, eight in Florida, six in Virginia and one in Georgia, according to theWeather Channel. Among the 18, one confirmed death has been reported in Mexico Beach, according to ABC.RELATED VIDEO: Hurricane Michael Made Landfall As A Destructive Category 4 HurricanePhotos of the destruction showed homes in ruins, streets filled with debris and houses lifted off their foundations.“We didn’t want to tell anybody about Mexico Beach because it was such a sweet town, we were scared that people would know about it and keep coming,” Emily Mitchell, who said her Mexico Beach home was a “total loss,” told ABC.In the days after the storm touched down, crews used heavy equipment to lift splinter boards, clear broken glass from the streets, and clean up debris in hopes of finding the hundreds who stayed behind to ride out the storm, according to the AP.
Photo: HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty
Nearly 50 people are unaccounted for after Hurricane Michaeltouched down last weekin Floridaas a Category 4 hurricane, as residents of a beachfront city work to salvage what’s left of their “sweet town,” reports say.Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey toldABC Newsthat 289 people — including 10 children — decided to remain in the city despite evacuation orders as the state prepared for the devastating storm. Both Cathey and a city clerk told the site that 46 of those who remained were still missing on Sunday.“If we lose only one life, to me that’s going to be a miracle,” Cathey told theAssociated Press, noting that he was hopeful about the fates of the missing.The city was “wiped out” after the storm made landfall last Wednesdaypacking 155 mph winds. In the days after its landfall, Michael was downgraded to a tropical storm, causing flash floods, damaging winds, and leaving more than 486,000 without power in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas, according toCNN.Scott Olson/GettyHowever, the devastation seems to have been the most severe in the small city, with a population of just 1,200. The storm destroyed businesses, homes, and even the Mexico Beach Police Department’s headquarters.“We don’t have a building — from my understanding, the water surge moved it off its foundation,” Police Chief Anthony Kelly told ABC. “The officers, I finally made accountability of them all today, two days after the fact. … They’re not just my officers, the people that I work with, they’re my family.”HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/GettyAt least 18 people have died as a result of the storm, including three in North Carolina, eight in Florida, six in Virginia and one in Georgia, according to theWeather Channel. Among the 18, one confirmed death has been reported in Mexico Beach, according to ABC.RELATED VIDEO: Hurricane Michael Made Landfall As A Destructive Category 4 HurricanePhotos of the destruction showed homes in ruins, streets filled with debris and houses lifted off their foundations.“We didn’t want to tell anybody about Mexico Beach because it was such a sweet town, we were scared that people would know about it and keep coming,” Emily Mitchell, who said her Mexico Beach home was a “total loss,” told ABC.In the days after the storm touched down, crews used heavy equipment to lift splinter boards, clear broken glass from the streets, and clean up debris in hopes of finding the hundreds who stayed behind to ride out the storm, according to the AP.
Nearly 50 people are unaccounted for after Hurricane Michaeltouched down last weekin Floridaas a Category 4 hurricane, as residents of a beachfront city work to salvage what’s left of their “sweet town,” reports say.
Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey toldABC Newsthat 289 people — including 10 children — decided to remain in the city despite evacuation orders as the state prepared for the devastating storm. Both Cathey and a city clerk told the site that 46 of those who remained were still missing on Sunday.
“If we lose only one life, to me that’s going to be a miracle,” Cathey told theAssociated Press, noting that he was hopeful about the fates of the missing.
The city was “wiped out” after the storm made landfall last Wednesdaypacking 155 mph winds. In the days after its landfall, Michael was downgraded to a tropical storm, causing flash floods, damaging winds, and leaving more than 486,000 without power in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas, according toCNN.
Scott Olson/Getty
However, the devastation seems to have been the most severe in the small city, with a population of just 1,200. The storm destroyed businesses, homes, and even the Mexico Beach Police Department’s headquarters.
“We don’t have a building — from my understanding, the water surge moved it off its foundation,” Police Chief Anthony Kelly told ABC. “The officers, I finally made accountability of them all today, two days after the fact. … They’re not just my officers, the people that I work with, they’re my family.”
HECTOR RETAMAL/AFP/Getty
At least 18 people have died as a result of the storm, including three in North Carolina, eight in Florida, six in Virginia and one in Georgia, according to theWeather Channel. Among the 18, one confirmed death has been reported in Mexico Beach, according to ABC.
RELATED VIDEO: Hurricane Michael Made Landfall As A Destructive Category 4 Hurricane
Photos of the destruction showed homes in ruins, streets filled with debris and houses lifted off their foundations.
“We didn’t want to tell anybody about Mexico Beach because it was such a sweet town, we were scared that people would know about it and keep coming,” Emily Mitchell, who said her Mexico Beach home was a “total loss,” told ABC.
In the days after the storm touched down, crews used heavy equipment to lift splinter boards, clear broken glass from the streets, and clean up debris in hopes of finding the hundreds who stayed behind to ride out the storm, according to the AP.
source: people.com
