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Hurricane Michael came close to the Florida storm Wednesday after he stepped up to become a Category 4 storm, gaining momentum a few hours before he was on the point to get to the ground in the afternoon. It is the most powerful hurricane ever recorded to hit the region. The storm has already begun to hit the Gulf Coast region with tropical storm conditions and it threatens to be "potentially catastrophic," according to the National Hurricane Center.
Check out the latest forecasts here, a city by city guide here and the storm movement here.
11:03: Governor of North Carolina declares urgency
The governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper (D), declared the state of emergency in this city before the expected arrival of Hurricane Michael.
Cooper's announcement comes after emergencies were declared in Florida, Alabama and Georgia when Michael, a powerful Category 4 storm, approached the southeast. Cooper said 150 National Guard soldiers would report Wednesday afternoon and warned that the heaviest rains were expected Thursday in his state.
Michael is expected to land in northwestern Florida before moving to the north, and forecasters warn that rain and wind could bring in Georgia and the Carolinas, who are still recovering from the deadly floods caused by the storm. Hurricane Florence last month.
– Mark Berman
Update 10:25: What does Hurricane Michael look like from space?
09:42: "Hurricane Michael is a hurricane of the worst kind"
Federal officials said they were in a position and ready to help the Southeast deal with Hurricane Michael, which they described as a particularly dangerous system.
"Unfortunately, Hurricane Michael is a hurricane of the worst kind," said William "Brock", a FEMA director, at a press briefing on Wednesday morning.
Long was gloomy in discussing the potential impact of Michael, who stepped on Tuesday and Wednesday in a Category 4 hurricane, a major storm likely to wreak havoc.
"Major hurricanes cause a lot of loss of life and the greatest amount of destruction they can cause," he said.
Hurricane Michael has already begun to strike northwest Florida and Long has warned of a "devastating storm wave" likely to cross the region and cause high winds.
Long has also extended his warning to other parts of the southeast, claiming that this storm could be the worst that has swept across southwestern and central Georgia in "many, many decades – and perhaps never. "Georgian citizens need to wake up and pay attention," he said. Beyond that, Long said, the storm could bring unwanted rainfall in parts of the Carolinas still recovering from the deadly flood.
"It will be a blow," Long said about the expected impact of the storm on the region.
– Mark Berman
9:10 am: Governor of Florida: "It's time to seek refuge"
Hurricane Michael's outer bands are already hitting northwestern Florida, Governor Rick Scott (right) on Wednesday urged everyone on the storm track to find shelter before the worst weather conditions occur.
"This is the worst storm our Florida Panhandle has seen in a century," he said at a news conference. "Hurricane Michael is upon us and the time has come to seek refuge."
Hurricane Michael turned into an "extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane" on Wednesday morning, the National Hurricane Center announced, and its harmony bands were already crossing part of Florida. Forecasters have warned of a potentially devastating storm surge, as well as harsh winds and rains that could ravage the region on Wednesday and Thursday.
Scott warned of the "unimaginable devastation" that could spread across the coastal regions, warning residents to take the storm's destructive capabilities seriously.
"It's going to be horrible," he said.
He added that more than 3,500 members of the Florida National Guard had been activated, as well as waves of other first responders and officials preparing for the storm and its aftermath.
Residents and officials said they were surprised at the speed of the storm, especially compared to the much slower approach of recent hurricanes, such as Irma last year and Florence last month in the Carolinas. "This thing happened quickly," Scott said.
– Mark Berman
8:55 am: Fear of thunderstorms, heavy rain and high winds
Hurricane Michael's approach continued Wednesday morning as she headed for northwestern Florida, a region largely closed by evacuation orders, storm warnings and fears by the system.
The National Hurricane Center warned that the storm could result in a devastating storm surge, the surge of water driven by the winds of the system. Hurricane Michael was "an extremely dangerous Category 4 hurricane" Wednesday morning, with sustained maximum winds reaching nearly 145 mph and stronger gusts, the hurricane center said in a bulletin.
Its strongest winds extend up to 45 miles from the center and some parts of Florida are already feeling the effects. The Apalachicola regional airport recorded a gust of 86 km / h, said the center.
According to the hurricane center, the storm surge could reach up to 14 feet in some areas, but even a storm surge of several feet could be damaging or devastating for homes and some areas. The hurricane center also warned that the weather conditions of the storm "would spread well inland from the Florida Panhandle, southeastern Alabama and southwestern Georgia later today and tonight, "threatening a broad band of the southeast.
See the latest forecast on the Capital Weather Gang.
– Mark Berman
The waves break along a pier as the tides of Hurricane Michael arrive on October 10, 2018 in Panama City Beach, Florida (Joe Raedle / Getty Images).
8:45 am: calm in Panama City
PANAMA CITY, FL – Early Wednesday, Panama City Beach was desolate. The tourists had shortened their holidays. Most of the hotels had been evacuated. The restaurants and shops of the entire riparian community have been closed.
But not everyone had gone. Some residents of this popular seaside city of northwestern Florida remained on the spot, ignoring the evacuation demands of officials and dismissing the threat of an approaching Category 4 storm. At Buster's Beer & Bait, one of the last bars still open on Tuesday night, residents of the city gathered to tell stories of past hurricanes and plan how they would use their boats, kayaks and canoes to support their search and rescue efforts. They sang, in turn, the wood covering the windows of the bar already bearing "Rock Me Hurricane 2018".
"Welcome to the Hurricane party," some said as new customers entered the bar. On the other side, the waves became higher and stronger. In the morning, the rain was constant and the winds were rising. Tyler and Heather Butler said they did not realize the storm would be serious until Monday, and decided to settle at their Georgette Street home just three kilometers from the beach. Their neighbors also stayed, they said.
"There will be no power, no WiFi. We will play board games. We can have time together, "said Tyler Butler, 33." It will be a good lesson for kids to be grateful for what they have: electricity, water, air conditioning. In a few days, they will turn around and say, "We have succeeded. It will be a period of reconciliation.
– Luz Lazo
Further reading:
Shades of Opal: This is how Hurricane Michael compares to the devastating 1995 storm
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