Hurricane Michael: Dozens of still untraceable victims in Mexico Beach

Early Monday, more than 250,000 customers were still without electricity in seven states from Florida to Virginia. The death toll remains at 18 but authorities say it could climb. About 30 to 35 people are still missing in the Mexico Beach area, said Chief of Police Anthony Kelly.

President Donald Trump on Sunday approved a declaration of disaster in Georgia for Baker, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Miller and Seminole counties. It follows the declaration of a major disaster in the counties of Florida Bay, Calhoun, Franklin, Gadsden, Gulf, Jackson, Liberty, Taylor and Wakulla on October 11th.

FEMA has set up 14 teams in Florida to help people register for disaster relief, the statement said. There are also 17 distribution points in Florida and Georgia where people can get food and water in areas where stores remain closed or supplies are limited.

Try to keep the sense of normalcy

Some people have taken matters into their own hands and resort to looting.

Panama City Fire Department Chief Scott Flitcraft told CNN that three or four hours after the impact of the storm, many dollar stores and convenience stores in the area had been looted.

Authorities were also investigating reports of a deadly shooting in Panama, WEAR reported.

Others in the city are trying to maintain a sense of normalcy.

"In recent days, I've been walking the streets, going from house to house," Senior Pastor Steven Kyle told CNN. "And one of the first things everyone said is:" Are we going to have a church? Can we have a church? "

"They just wanted the community," he said.

Residents could still be trapped

Hundreds of calls from people across the country in search of loved ones continue to accumulate as emergency teams attempt to reach the most remote areas.

Teams use bulldozers to move debris and cut trees with chainsaws to clear roads and hundreds of roads blocked by the wreckage.

"What's taking you the most time now is simply to access some of these areas," said Panama City Fire Chief Alex Baird.

The fire department received over 200 calls from residents and Baird said it could be days or weeks before they were completed. Residents still missing could be stranded in remote areas and crews have to go door to door because there is no electricity and the mobile phone service is uneven.

18 people are dead

Six people died in Virginia. Four people drowned and a firefighter was killed when a semitrailer lost control and struck his truck on a soggy highway in Hanover County. The Emergency Management Department of Virginia announced Saturday the death of the sixth person in Charlotte County.

The seaside town of Mexico Beach has almost been wiped out and rescue teams are using dogs to search the piles of rubble and the mutilated structures again in search of survivors.

About 280 of the city's 1,200 residents have announced plans to weather the storm, but authorities say many fled at the last minute when Michael recovered, Mayor Al Cathey said.

Bay County Schools Closed

All schools in Bay County have been damaged, said one official.

"It will not be a normal school year, we are not in the current situation," said Bay District Superintendent of Schools Bill Husfelt to WMBB, a CNN affiliate.

With the majority of its 26,000 students displaced and many schools deemed unsafe because of the damage, officials discuss ways to bring students back to school or provide them with psychological help.

"I would say that all Bay County schools are suffering damage, some more than others," said Steve Moss, Vice President of the Bay District School Board. "Some people will probably have weeks or months to connect in. Other things will take years."