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| Hurricane Michael Live Updates: 13 Deaths in a Vast Trail of Destruction | Hurricane Michael Live Updates: 13 Deaths in a Vast Trail of Destruction |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| PANAMA CITY, Fla. — 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. | PANAMA CITY, Fla. — 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. | 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.” | |
| Here’s the latest: | Here’s the latest: |
| • The 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. | • The 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. | • 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. |
| • An 11-year-old girl, Sarah Radney, was killed on Wednesday when a carport was torn away and was sent hurtling into a modular home in Seminole County, Ga. | • An 11-year-old girl, Sarah Radney, was killed on Wednesday when a carport was torn away and was sent hurtling into a modular home in Seminole County, Ga. |
| • At least 1.5 million customers were without electricity in states stretching from Florida to Virginia. | • At least 1.5 million customers were without electricity in states stretching from Florida to Virginia. |
| • It has been a tough few weeks for the Carolinas. After thrashing the Florida Panhandle, Michael slogged through states still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Florence last month. | • It has been a tough few weeks for the Carolinas. After thrashing the Florida Panhandle, Michael slogged through states still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Florence last month. |
| • Much of the coast of the Florida Panhandle, including Mexico Beach and Panama City, was left in ruins. The area is dotted with small, rural communities, some of them among the poorest in the state. Read more about how the storm was hard on people without the means to evacuate. | • Much of the coast of the Florida Panhandle, including Mexico Beach and Panama City, was left in ruins. The area is dotted with small, rural communities, some of them among the poorest in the state. Read more about how the storm was hard on people without the means to evacuate. |
| Roy Radney, Sarah Radney’s father, said his daughter had gone to visit her grandparents earlier in the week while she and her siblings were on fall break. | Roy Radney, Sarah Radney’s father, said his daughter had gone to visit her grandparents earlier in the week while she and her siblings were on fall break. |
| As the storm churned through the part of southwest Georgia where the grandparents lived, Mr. Radney, 37, called to check in at least once an hour, and sometimes every 15 minutes. Things were fine at first. | As the storm churned through the part of southwest Georgia where the grandparents lived, Mr. Radney, 37, called to check in at least once an hour, and sometimes every 15 minutes. Things were fine at first. |
| But then he got a call from his brother. The reception was bad and Mr. Radney could not quite make out what his brother was saying. But he could tell he was crying. | But then he got a call from his brother. The reception was bad and Mr. Radney could not quite make out what his brother was saying. But he could tell he was crying. |
| “When I finally got through and spoke to my mom, my mom said Sarah had been hit in the head,” Mr. Radney said. | “When I finally got through and spoke to my mom, my mom said Sarah had been hit in the head,” Mr. Radney said. |
| The wind, he was told, had lifted up a portable carport that had been behind the house and thrust it toward the home. One of its legs burst through and struck both Sarah and Mr. Radney’s mother. His mother’s lung was punctured, her rib broken. Sarah’s head injury left her gasping for air for 45 minutes to an hour. | The wind, he was told, had lifted up a portable carport that had been behind the house and thrust it toward the home. One of its legs burst through and struck both Sarah and Mr. Radney’s mother. His mother’s lung was punctured, her rib broken. Sarah’s head injury left her gasping for air for 45 minutes to an hour. |
| “Last night was just hell,” Mr. Radney said. “I’m an hour and a quarter away, and my daughter’s dying, and I can’t do anything about it. I can’t think of anything that is more related to hell than that.” | “Last night was just hell,” Mr. Radney said. “I’m an hour and a quarter away, and my daughter’s dying, and I can’t do anything about it. I can’t think of anything that is more related to hell than that.” |
| Then, finally, Mr. Radney and his wife got through again, and his father told Mr. Radney’s wife that Sarah had died. | Then, finally, Mr. Radney and his wife got through again, and his father told Mr. Radney’s wife that Sarah had died. |
| “And that’s about the end of the story,” Mr. Radney said. | “And that’s about the end of the story,” Mr. Radney said. |
| [Read more about Mr. Radney’s memories of Sarah here.] | [Read more about Mr. Radney’s memories of Sarah here.] |
| Most of the people who died in Virginia were drowning victims, while another was a firefighter who had responded to a car crash on an interstate highway. | Most of the people who died in Virginia were drowning victims, while another was a firefighter who had responded to a car crash on an interstate highway. |
| The firefighter, Lt. Brad Clack of the Hanover County Fire-EMS Department, was one of four firefighters struck by their fire engine when a tractor-trailer slammed into it around 9 p.m. on Thursday outside Richmond, according to the Virginia State Police. The crash pushed the fire truck into the firefighters. | The firefighter, Lt. Brad Clack of the Hanover County Fire-EMS Department, was one of four firefighters struck by their fire engine when a tractor-trailer slammed into it around 9 p.m. on Thursday outside Richmond, according to the Virginia State Police. The crash pushed the fire truck into the firefighters. |
| Mr. Clack was at the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 295 during the storm. While the fire engine’s lights were on, the roads were slick when it was struck by the tractor-trailer on the side of the road, the Virginia State Police said. The driver of the tractor-trailer suffered serious injuries, the state police said, and charges were pending. | Mr. Clack was at the scene of a two-vehicle crash on Interstate 295 during the storm. While the fire engine’s lights were on, the roads were slick when it was struck by the tractor-trailer on the side of the road, the Virginia State Police said. The driver of the tractor-trailer suffered serious injuries, the state police said, and charges were pending. |
| The other three firefighters were taken to a hospital in serious condition, the state police said. | The other three firefighters were taken to a hospital in serious condition, the state police said. |
| Two of the drowning victims died in Charlotte County, near the North Carolina border, after their car was swept away on a bridge on Thursday night, according to the state police. The authorities were able to rescue a third person who was also in the car. | Two of the drowning victims died in Charlotte County, near the North Carolina border, after their car was swept away on a bridge on Thursday night, according to the state police. The authorities were able to rescue a third person who was also in the car. |
| Earlier on Thursday, James King Jr., 45, was swept away in his car in floodwaters in Pittsylvania County in southern Virginia around 3:30 p.m. and could not be rescued despite the efforts of sheriff’s deputies, the state police said. “The floodwaters were too deep and too swift for them to maintain contact with him,” the state police said. | Earlier on Thursday, James King Jr., 45, was swept away in his car in floodwaters in Pittsylvania County in southern Virginia around 3:30 p.m. and could not be rescued despite the efforts of sheriff’s deputies, the state police said. “The floodwaters were too deep and too swift for them to maintain contact with him,” the state police said. |
| And two people were killed in Danville, Va., on Thursday when their cars were overrun by flash flooding. William Lynn Tanksley 53, died when the car he was in was swept away in fast-moving water around 5 p.m., the Danville Police Department said. A second person, whose identity has not been made public yet, died around 10:20 p.m. when the person’s car got stuck in high water. | And two people were killed in Danville, Va., on Thursday when their cars were overrun by flash flooding. William Lynn Tanksley 53, died when the car he was in was swept away in fast-moving water around 5 p.m., the Danville Police Department said. A second person, whose identity has not been made public yet, died around 10:20 p.m. when the person’s car got stuck in high water. |
| As the death toll rose in Virginia, the authorities also expected more deaths to be reported further south along the hurricane’s path. | |
| “I expect the fatality count to come up today. I expect it to come up tomorrow, as well, as we get through the debris,” Brock Long, the chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, said in an interview with CNN on Friday. “Hopefully it doesn’t rise dramatically, but it is a possibility.” | |
| [Here is why a death might be considered storm related in one state and not another.] | [Here is why a death might be considered storm related in one state and not another.] |
| The seaside community of Mexico Beach, where the storm made landfall, was a flattened wreck. Across the small sport-fishing town, piers and docks were destroyed, fishing boats were piled crazily on shore and residents wandered the streets in horror and wonder. | The seaside community of Mexico Beach, where the storm made landfall, was a flattened wreck. Across the small sport-fishing town, piers and docks were destroyed, fishing boats were piled crazily on shore and residents wandered the streets in horror and wonder. |
| “These were all block and stucco houses — gone,” the former mayor, Tom Bailey, said. “The mother of all bombs doesn’t do any more damage than this.” | “These were all block and stucco houses — gone,” the former mayor, Tom Bailey, said. “The mother of all bombs doesn’t do any more damage than this.” |
| Mr. Long, the administrator of FEMA, said that emergency responders were focused on Friday morning on search-and-rescue efforts in Mexico Beach and other hard-hit areas, including inland communities. Emergency responders are expected to complete all of the “initial” search-and-rescue missions by the end of Friday in both Florida and Georgia, he said. | Mr. Long, the administrator of FEMA, said that emergency responders were focused on Friday morning on search-and-rescue efforts in Mexico Beach and other hard-hit areas, including inland communities. Emergency responders are expected to complete all of the “initial” search-and-rescue missions by the end of Friday in both Florida and Georgia, he said. |
| The road to Mexico Beach became passable Thursday morning, less than 24 hours after Michael made landfall, and it became evident that few communities had suffered more. Known for its sport fishing, the city of about 2,000 permanent residents swells to as many as 14,000 in July, and is known for having a relaxed, small-town feel compared with the brash tourist strips of Panama City Beach or the tony nearby beach developments of Alys Beach or Seaside. | The road to Mexico Beach became passable Thursday morning, less than 24 hours after Michael made landfall, and it became evident that few communities had suffered more. Known for its sport fishing, the city of about 2,000 permanent residents swells to as many as 14,000 in July, and is known for having a relaxed, small-town feel compared with the brash tourist strips of Panama City Beach or the tony nearby beach developments of Alys Beach or Seaside. |
| “So many lives have been changed forever, so many families have lost everything,” Gov. Rick Scott of Florida said. “Homes are gone, businesses are gone. Roads and infrastructure along the storm’s path have been destroyed. This hurricane was an absolute monster.” | “So many lives have been changed forever, so many families have lost everything,” Gov. Rick Scott of Florida said. “Homes are gone, businesses are gone. Roads and infrastructure along the storm’s path have been destroyed. This hurricane was an absolute monster.” |
| Mr. Long, the FEMA administrator, was visibly frustrated over reports that residents of the Panhandle coast had ignored state and federal warnings to evacuate before the hurricane arrived. He said that an estimated 13-foot storm surge, not high winds, had reduced homes to piles of wood and debris. | Mr. Long, the FEMA administrator, was visibly frustrated over reports that residents of the Panhandle coast had ignored state and federal warnings to evacuate before the hurricane arrived. He said that an estimated 13-foot storm surge, not high winds, had reduced homes to piles of wood and debris. |
| The homes that were still intact, at least partially, were likely built higher off the ground, allowing the rushing ocean to pass underneath, Mr. Long said. “There’s a lesson here about building codes.” | The homes that were still intact, at least partially, were likely built higher off the ground, allowing the rushing ocean to pass underneath, Mr. Long said. “There’s a lesson here about building codes.” |
| He asked for patience, especially in the area around Mexico Beach and Panama City as workers tried to clear streets, safely remove downed power lines, and secure ruptured gas lines. | |
| One challenge has been communication, Mr. Long said, and officials are working to allow wireless companies access to the areas to restore cellphone service. It may be some time, he said, before people can return home. | One challenge has been communication, Mr. Long said, and officials are working to allow wireless companies access to the areas to restore cellphone service. It may be some time, he said, before people can return home. |
| “Bottom line, it was one of the most powerful storms the country has seen since 1851,” he said. “It’s going to be long time before they can get back.” | “Bottom line, it was one of the most powerful storms the country has seen since 1851,” he said. “It’s going to be long time before they can get back.” |
| [Click on the image below to get a sense of the scale of the destruction in Mexico Beach.] | [Click on the image below to get a sense of the scale of the destruction in Mexico Beach.] |
| While the coastal devastation has become obvious, some disaster experts are most concerned about the conditions farther inland. | While the coastal devastation has become obvious, some disaster experts are most concerned about the conditions farther inland. |
| Andrew Schroeder, research and analytics director for Direct Relief, said data analyzed by his humanitarian organization showed that people from the coasts had evacuated relatively short distances, to areas that the storm also raked with high winds and cut power lines. | Andrew Schroeder, research and analytics director for Direct Relief, said data analyzed by his humanitarian organization showed that people from the coasts had evacuated relatively short distances, to areas that the storm also raked with high winds and cut power lines. |
| [Here is how you can help victims of Hurricane Michael.] | [Here is how you can help victims of Hurricane Michael.] |
| “These are some of the most socially vulnerable places in the entire country,” Mr. Schroeder said, low-income counties with high proportions of older adults, and many people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. | “These are some of the most socially vulnerable places in the entire country,” Mr. Schroeder said, low-income counties with high proportions of older adults, and many people with disabilities and chronic illnesses. |
| These inland areas were “where the focus has to be,” he said. But assessing the impact will take time. “You only find out about a lot of this stuff after the peak of the attention curve.” | These inland areas were “where the focus has to be,” he said. But assessing the impact will take time. “You only find out about a lot of this stuff after the peak of the attention curve.” |
| The photographers Gabriella Angotti-Jones, Emily Kask, Scott McIntyre, Johnny Milano and Eric Thayer are on the ground in Florida covering the storm for The New York Times. See their images here. | The photographers Gabriella Angotti-Jones, Emily Kask, Scott McIntyre, Johnny Milano and Eric Thayer are on the ground in Florida covering the storm for The New York Times. See their images here. |
| Hurricane Michael could inflict wind and storm-surge losses of up to $4.5 billion, according to CoreLogic, a data-analytics company in Irvine, Calif., that bases its estimates on the replacement cost of houses and other structures in the paths of major storms before they hit. | Hurricane Michael could inflict wind and storm-surge losses of up to $4.5 billion, according to CoreLogic, a data-analytics company in Irvine, Calif., that bases its estimates on the replacement cost of houses and other structures in the paths of major storms before they hit. |
| Sharper estimates are expected in the coming weeks, as homeowners report their actual losses to insurers. Property insurers in Florida tend to be younger, smaller companies than those elsewhere, but analysts said they appeared adequately cushioned with reinsurance and were expected to bounce back. | Sharper estimates are expected in the coming weeks, as homeowners report their actual losses to insurers. Property insurers in Florida tend to be younger, smaller companies than those elsewhere, but analysts said they appeared adequately cushioned with reinsurance and were expected to bounce back. |
| CoreLogic’s estimate does not include the cost of flood damage, which is borne by the National Flood Insurance Program, operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Standard homeowners’ policies do not cover flood damage, and people who live on designated floodplains are required to buy $250,000 worth of coverage from the federal program. The requirement has been hard to enforce, though, and many people who should have the insurance do not. | CoreLogic’s estimate does not include the cost of flood damage, which is borne by the National Flood Insurance Program, operated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Standard homeowners’ policies do not cover flood damage, and people who live on designated floodplains are required to buy $250,000 worth of coverage from the federal program. The requirement has been hard to enforce, though, and many people who should have the insurance do not. |
| The eye of the storm cut directly over Tyndall Air Force Base, which sits on a narrow spit of land that juts into the Gulf of Mexico, about a dozen miles south of Panama City. Trees bent in the howling wind, then splintered. Stormproof roofs only a few months old peeled like old paint and were scraped away by the gale. An F-15 fighter jet on display at the base entrance was ripped from its foundation and pitched onto its back amid twisted flagpoles and uprooted trees. | The eye of the storm cut directly over Tyndall Air Force Base, which sits on a narrow spit of land that juts into the Gulf of Mexico, about a dozen miles south of Panama City. Trees bent in the howling wind, then splintered. Stormproof roofs only a few months old peeled like old paint and were scraped away by the gale. An F-15 fighter jet on display at the base entrance was ripped from its foundation and pitched onto its back amid twisted flagpoles and uprooted trees. |
| When it was over, the base lay in ruins, amid what the Air Force called “widespread catastrophic damage.” There were no reported injuries, in part because nearly all personnel had been ordered to leave in advance of the Category 4 hurricane’s landfall. Commanders still sifting through mounds of wreckage could not say when evacuation orders would be lifted. | When it was over, the base lay in ruins, amid what the Air Force called “widespread catastrophic damage.” There were no reported injuries, in part because nearly all personnel had been ordered to leave in advance of the Category 4 hurricane’s landfall. Commanders still sifting through mounds of wreckage could not say when evacuation orders would be lifted. |
| [Read more here about how many of the buildings there were “a complete loss.”] | [Read more here about how many of the buildings there were “a complete loss.”] |
| The storm’s effects reached deep into the Panhandle. In the town of Marianna, more than 60 miles northeast of Panama City, roofs were torn off buildings, pine trees had snapped, and piles of bricks were tossed across downtown streets. | The storm’s effects reached deep into the Panhandle. In the town of Marianna, more than 60 miles northeast of Panama City, roofs were torn off buildings, pine trees had snapped, and piles of bricks were tossed across downtown streets. |
| The Sunland Center for adults with developmental disabilities was without regular power or landline phone service and its grounds were strewn with debris, said Melanie Etters with the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities. | The Sunland Center for adults with developmental disabilities was without regular power or landline phone service and its grounds were strewn with debris, said Melanie Etters with the Florida Agency for Persons with Disabilities. |
| She said a truck had delivered food, water, ice and generator fuel to the state-run center, which has about 325 residents, some of them older adults and many of whom require significant assistance with basic activities. She said the center had generators, and its staff were able to communicate with state officials by cellphone. | She said a truck had delivered food, water, ice and generator fuel to the state-run center, which has about 325 residents, some of them older adults and many of whom require significant assistance with basic activities. She said the center had generators, and its staff were able to communicate with state officials by cellphone. |
| Some family members of residents, who have conditions including autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, took to social media in the hours after the storm, pleading for information because they could not contact the center by phone. Ms. Etters said there were no reported injuries and no plans to evacuate the center. | Some family members of residents, who have conditions including autism, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy, took to social media in the hours after the storm, pleading for information because they could not contact the center by phone. Ms. Etters said there were no reported injuries and no plans to evacuate the center. |
| On a normal day, Ms. Etters said, residents participate in programs involving animals and a recycling workshop, and they shop at their own mall. | On a normal day, Ms. Etters said, residents participate in programs involving animals and a recycling workshop, and they shop at their own mall. |