*PANAMA CITY – Hurricane Michael intensified Tuesday as it barreled towardthe Florida coast, becoming a major Category 3 storm capable of“devastating damage” which the state’s governor warned could be the worstin decades.*
Michael packed winds of 120 miles per hour (195 kilometers per hour) as itaimed for the Florida Panhandle, the finger-shaped strip of land on theGulf of Mexico.
The storm was expected to make landfall on Wednesday afternoon, bringinghurricane force winds, a “life-threatening storm surge” and heavy rainfall,the Miami-based National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
Rick Knabb, a former NHC head, urged locals in Michael’s path to waste notime in evacuating.
“#Michael could be one of the worst hurricanes to ever strike the FloridaBig Bend/Florida Panhandle region,” he warned. “We only have today andTuesday to complete lifesaving preparations at the coast and inland.Evacuate as instructed from storm surge and shelter smart from wind!”
Governor Rick Scott, who has activated 2,500 members of the National Guardin response, echoed Knabb’s assessment saying that: “Hurricane Michaelposes a deadly threat (as the) most destructive storm to hit the FloridaPanhandle in decades.”
Panama City Beach fire department chief Larry Couch urged residents toevacuate.
“If they decide to stay, there will be a point where we can’t get to them,”Couch said. “We will shut down operations at a certain point and when we dothat, they’re on their own.
“Be safe and leave,” he said.
President Donald Trump issued an emergency declaration for the state,freeing up federal funds for relief operations and providing the assistanceof the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
“It is imperative that you heed the directions of your State and LocalOfficials. Please be prepared, be careful and be SAFE!” Trump tweeted.
State officials issued disaster declarations in Alabama and Georgia, bothof which are also expected to feel the impact from the storm.
As of 8:00 pm Eastern time (0000 GMT), Michael was about 255 miles (410kilometers) south of Panama City and moving north at 12 miles per hour (19kph).*Flash flood, tornado warnings *
The NHC said some areas of the Florida coast could expect storm surges ofnine to 13 feet (2.7-four meters), and as much as a foot of rain.
Read Top Stories
The heavy rains could cause flash floods, the NHC said, and spawn tornadosin northwestern Florida.
About 120,000 residents were under mandatory evacuation orders in BayCounty in the panhandle, a low-lying area of beachfront resorts andretirement communities.
In other areas, residents of mobile homes were urged to leave.
Michael was forecast to have the power to uproot trees, block roads andknock out power for days when it hits Florida. It is expected to weaken asit moves up into the southeastern United States.
The storm is a Category 3 out of five on the Saffir-Simpson hurricane windscale.
Drivers waited in long lines at gas stations and residents hurried to fillsandbags, while tolls were suspended on some roads to aid movement ahead ofthe storm’s landfall.
“Since 6:00 am it’s been backed up. We’re just now running out of regular(gasoline),” Danny Hess, an employee at a gas station in Panama City, toldlocal WJHG television.
The Carolinas are still recovering from Hurricane Florence, which leftdozens dead and is estimated to have caused billions of dollars in damagelast month.
It made landfall on the coast as a Category 1 hurricane on September 14 anddrenched some parts of the state with 40 inches of rain.
Last year saw a string of catastrophic storms batter the western Atlantic —including Irma, Maria and Harvey, which caused a record-equaling $125billion in damage when it flooded the Houston metropolitan area.
Scientists have long warned that global warming will make storms moredestructive, and some say the evidence for this may already be visible.
At their most fearsome, these low-pressure weather fronts pack more powerthan the energy released by the atomic bomb that levelled Hiroshima. -APP/AFP
