Death toll rises as search continues after Florida hurricane

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Florida (Reuters) – The death of Hurricane Michael confirmed the deaths of 10 additional people in Florida, bringing to at least 29 the number of storm-related deaths as rescue workers attempt to reach hundreds more people where is where they are. unknown.

Michael, who landed Wednesday in the United States, killed 20 people in the Florida Panhandle, five in Virginia, three in North Carolina and one in Georgia, according to official statistics.

According to Matthew Marchetti, co-founder of the Houston-based group, teams from the volunteer rescue organization CrowdSource Rescue regularly made contact with people identified by friends and relatives in the disaster area of ​​Panhandle. Volunteers still had not reached more than 1,135 people on Tuesday morning.

With the return of the mobile phone service, the number of missing people in Mexico Beach, one of the hardest hit cities, has been reduced to three, said Rex Putnal, city councilor. A day earlier, there were more than 30.

"Let's hope they're gone and that we find them safe somewhere," he said, before embarking on a clean-up effort where workers were waiting for the arrival of portable toilets late.

"This type of life is about you," Putnal said. "This is my fifth day and I'm just not used to washing clothes in a tub without a washer or dryer and eating only peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. "

The city of 1200 inhabitants had reported two deaths as of Monday. Rescuers used dogs to find bodies that could be buried under the debris.

More than 200,000 people are without electricity in the southeastern United States, as residents of battered coastal cities are forced to cook on fires and barbecues.

At least 80 percent of the customers in three predominantly Panhandle rural counties were without electricity Tuesday. Officials said it could be weeks before the power comes back to some people.

CAMPING IN THE TENTS

Many people in the hinterland of the region have been struggling for days without running water or sanitation, waiting for help from the authorities. Some camp in tents with personal belongings that they could recover.

"I'm staying here to try to keep looters away, to save what I can save," said Bernard Sutton, a 64-year-old cancer patient who lived in a tent and in a minivan. breakdown. .

The felled trees hindered access to those blocked by the storm.

The state government distributes ice, water and about 3 million ready-to-eat meals, according to Governor Rick Scott's office.

The water supply was restored Monday for some residents of Panama City, but Bay County officials said it was not yet safe to drink.

Michael hit the Florida Panhandle last week with sustained winds of 155 km / h (155 km / h).

Winds and storm surges have resulted in insured losses of $ 6 billion to $ 10 billion, said AIR Worldwide, the risk modeler. These figures exclude uninsured property and losses paid by the National Flood Insurance Program, said AIR Worldwide.

US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump traveled Monday to the storm-affected areas to distribute bottles of water at a help center in Lynn Haven, a city in the United States. about 18,500 inhabitants near Panama.