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Michael, one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the United States, left the east coast early Friday morning. Yet parts of Virginia continue to see dangerous gusts of wind, said the National Hurricane Center.
Aerial imagery shows Florida's coastal cities completely obliterated. Residents walk through stacks of debris, some assessing the damage and others trying to get out and find food.
"These are not things that you have restored overnight," said Thursday the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Brock Long. "It's unrealistic for people to think this will happen in a day or two."
Main developments
• Where is Michael? On Friday at 5 pm ET, the storm was moving in the Atlantic Ocean and about 185 miles northeast of Norfolk, Virginia.
• Millions in the dark: Almost 1.4 million customers in seven states are without electricity, including 604,831 in North Carolina.
• Identified victims: Among the dead are four in Florida, one in Georgia, and one in North Carolina.
• Public health emergency declared in Georgia: The statement will help ensure that those who depend on Medicare and Medicaid have access to the care they need, said Health and Social Services Secretary Alex Azar.
6 dead, several missing
"It was only an abnormal accident, I've never heard anything like it," said his father, Roy Radney.
Sarah had just started grade six and was joining the drama club and band. Her father says that she loved playing the trumpet, playing and singing.
The 11-year-old girl and at least five other people have been killed since Michael landed and made their way northeast, leaving traces of destruction, officials said.
A man who died when a tree fell on a house near Greensboro, Florida, was identified as Steven Scott, according to Lt. Anglie Hightower, Gadsden County sheriff's public information officer.
Three other people died in Gadsden County, said Hightower. The authorities did not explain the circumstances of their deaths, but their bodies were transported to the office of the coroner to determine the cause of death.
The sixth victim, a 38-year-old man, died Thursday from a large tree that fell on his vehicle on Highway 64, east of Statesville, North Carolina, said David Souther, prefect of the United States. Iredell County Fires.
Hundreds of people have been rescued from debris and the authorities are worried that the toll will increase as search and rescue efforts continue.
Signs of hope
Thousands of Florida Panhandle residents are slowly returning home and discovering that almost everything, whatever they owned was reduced to ruins.
Linda Clarke gasps at the sight of her new home in Shell Point Beach – now severely damaged.
"But you know what … it's just things, it's just things," she said to her husband while they were walking home. "These are just things we can replace."
"Things we can replace," he said of CNN's "Erin Burnett OutFront". "We saw a lot of signs of hope … I told people … to have hope."
"I hope that even if the storm comes, even if I lose my car, my house, my family, even if I lose my life, may God be blessed," he said. "Our reward is not only in this life, but in the life to come, we are simply trying to give hope to people at this stage."
Floods in the Carolinas and Virginia
Michael's rapid rains triggered flash floods in parts of Virginia and the Carolinas, including in areas threatened by flooding of rivers during Hurricane Florence.
Hundreds of residents were saved Thursday in cars, apartments and houses flooded by whitewater.
In Virginia, the Roanoke River has sprung up on its banks and has flooded several homes and businesses nearby. Cory Patirlo, who lives near the river, said that Michael's impact was unexpected. It was the first time that he had nearly 2 feet of water at his home.
"I'm going to sleep in my van, with my dogs."
The water is removed in a few hours in some areas and residents begin to clean themselves Friday. Others are expected to stay in shelters during the weekend when the river levels will drop.
The impact of climate change on storms
Michael's strength can reflect the effects of climate change on storms. The planet has warmed considerably over the last few decades, leading to changes in the environment.
Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere create an energy imbalance: more than 90% of the remaining heat is trapped by gases that enter the oceans, according to the National Ocean Administration and the US. ;atmosphere.
And if we do not change the rate of greenhouse gas emissions, we should expect an increased intensification of hurricanes in the coming decades, said the Climate Central research group.
Hollie Silverman, Holly Yan and Emanuella Grinberg of CNN contributed to this report.
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