Hurricane Michael Death Toll Rises to 35 as Mexico Beach Residents Return to Survey Damage

It was a stunning experience for many, who shed tears and shared hugs when they finally had a chance to see the destruction firsthand. Nancy Register was overcome with emotion, sobbing uncontrollably when she returned and found no sign of the large camper where she lived. Her husband, Taylor Register, dug through the wreckage only to find three items he recognized – a hose, a stool on which he sat to cut his hair and a rock a friend gave to him as a gift 40 years ago.

“That’s my belongings,” he said, pointing to a small pile beside his red pickup truck. Choking up, he said: “I appreciate God humbling me. Everybody needs it.”

(MORE: How to Help the Victims of Hurricane Michael)

The damage is massive to one of the few remaining towns in Florida where small beach houses were built on concrete slabs, giving the town a 1950s feel. Virtually all of those homes were destroyed by the powerful hurricane, wiped clean from their foundations by the devastating storm surge.

“Basically, we lost ‘old Florida.’ It’s all gone,” said Lanie Eden, another Mexico Beach resident who lost her home and is staying in Alabama temporarily.

At least 35 deaths have been blamed on the powerful storm – 25 in Florida, three in North Carolina, one in Georgia and six in Virginia.

Here’s a closer look at the biggest stories in Florida as the state recovers from the storm:

Identifying the dead: Bay County Medical Examiner Dr. Jay Radtke says damage from Hurricane Michael to his office has slowed autopsies and hampered the identification of some of the victim’s of the storm. The office had generator power but lost water and communications, Radtke told the News-Herald.  At least six storm victims had not been identified as of Thursday. The lack of running water slowed autopsies considerably, Radtke said, and his staff was using buckets of well water and running hoses.

State parks still closed: Fourteen Florida state parks remain closed until further notice because of damage from Hurricane Michael. The Tallahassee Democrat reports that widespread damage has been found at parks in Franklin, Gulf, Bay, and Jackson counties, including Florida Caverns State Park, St. Andrews State Park, St. Joseph Peninsula State Park, and Little St. George Island.

Bay County schools will reopen: Bay District Schools Superintendent Bill Husfelt said Thursday that students will return to class no later than the week of Nov. 12, the News Herald reports. About 200 portable classrooms will be used at schools that can’t be reopened by then. In addition to many schools being damaged, some are also being used as shelters. 

FSU homecoming to go on: Florida State University President John Thrasher told the Democrat he decided homecoming events would continue at the Tallahassee university because they can help promote and share the most effective ways to support people affected by the hurricane. “I know there are pockets of folks who think we should not play the game. We are going to have a number of other places we can actually tell people what we have done and what can be done to help all those folks in the most affected areas,” Thrasher said.

Voting rules changed: Eight Panhandle counties affected by the storm will be able to start and end early voting beyond the deadline, Gov. Rick Scott’s office announced Thursday. The state will also make it easier for victims displaced by the storm to send and receive paper ballots.

Vow to rebuild Tyndall: Contrary to a rumor, the heavily damaged Tyndall Air Force Base near Panama City will be rebuilt, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson told WMBB-TV in an interview Tuesday. The rumor being circulated said the base might be closed permanently closed, as Homestead AFB was in the wake of Hurricane Andrew in 1992. “Let me assure you that Tyndall AFB will be rebuilt,” Nelson told WMBB. “It will become a modern air force base that will be an example of all future air force bases.”

(PHOTOS: Before and After Images Show Michael’s Devastation)

Leaving Mexico Beach for good: Some homeowners along the coast said they’ll rebuild their lives, but not in Mexico Beach. “I couldn’t get nothing for this land now,” Joe Bush, who has lived in Mexico Beach for 19 years, told CNN.com. “People gonna be scared to death to come down here to buy and invest money. So we’re just going to leave it.”

Looters arrested in Bay County: Officials told the News Herald that armed looters are targeting homes and businesses damaged by the storm, and police are making about 10 arrests every night. “I must’ve been so exhausted from everything in the past days I didn’t hear them come in,” Victoria Smith, who was targeted in her home, told the News Herald. “They just snatched my purse out of my hands and ran. … It was all we had.”

(MORE: The Victims of Hurricane Michael)

Residents flock to damaged motel: With no place to go, many Panama City residents who lost their homes have turned to the damaged American Quality Lodge just so they have a roof over their heads. Some have built makeshift tents in breezeways as a refuge from the daytime sun. Others say they’ve also been targeted by looters who descended on the motel and took money, food and even their clothes.

Cell service still spotty: Calling loved ones after the storm is one of the top priorities of survivors, but for many, cell service still has not been restored, making that act far more difficult. Scott said phone companies have been far too slow to restore service to battered areas. Verizon’s network finally returned for Panama City customers on Tuesday, and the company said it will give all customers a three-month credit in Bay and Gulf counties.

Poor residents hit hardest: Many of those who rode out Michael said they did it because they had no way to evacuate. Lynn Haven resident Mary Frances Parrish said she didn’t have a working vehicle or a place to go, so she stayed in her home and endured the worst of the storm. “People are sending stuff in,” she said. “I’ve got plenty of water, I’ve got cold drinks, I’ve got plenty to eat. It may be right out of the can, but it’s plenty to eat. As long as you can have plenty to eat and drink and stay in good spirits, you’ll make it.”

Two prisons damaged: Nearly 3,000 inmates have been evacuated after two prisons were damaged during Hurricane Michael. The Department of Corrections said Saturday that the inmates were evacuated from the Gulf Correctional Institution and Annex and a portion of Calhoun Correctional Institution. The facilities sustained significant roof damage, as well as damage to infrastructure critical for security. Three prisons – the Gulf institution and annex, the Gulf Forestry Camp, and Panama City Work Release Center are closed until further damage assessments are made. No inmates or staff members were injured. The agency says inmate locations will be updated on its website within 24 hours.

Wolf goes missing, reward offered: At the Seacrest Wolf Preserve in Chipley, a wolf named Tahané went missing during the storm when a tree damaged his enclosure. “He experienced extreme stress and is running for his life in terror,” said Seacrest Wolf Preserve co-owner Cynthia Watkins in a Facebook video. The preserve has offered an $800 reward for the return of the 16-year-old gray wolf, which Watkins says is “harmless to humans.”

Enormous crop loss expected: The state might have lost as much as 90 percent of its cotton crop to the storm, as well as 40 percent of its peanut crop, initial estimates from the University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences revealed. Florida’s massive timber industry could also be affected, as many young pines were likely destroyed before harvest, Florida Forest Service Information Officer Annalisa Winter told the Dothan Eagle.

– Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.