The storm surge Michael was dredged by 119-year-old ships destroyed by Hurricane Carrabelle

Hurricane Michael, an unprecedented storm that hit the Florida Panhandle with a category 4 force, may well be an arbiter for what's coming in a world where climate change is about to make hurricanes too devastating more likely. But it also gave us a glimpse of the past in the form of 119-year-old destroyed ships, which Michael's terrifying attack discovered.

According to a report published this weekend in the Tallahassee Democrat Party, Michael's waters allegedly resulted in shipwrecks on Dog Island, Franklin County, believed to be stranded vessels during Hurricane Carrabelle. from 1899. The photos posted on Facebook by the Carrabelle Boat Club and on Twitter by the Democrat show hulls heavily damaged, but clearly recognizable, completely exposed to the elements.

The document said that the identity of the ships discovered had not yet been determined, as state officials are busy managing the immediate consequences of the recent storm:

These are well-documented wrecks, according to the Florida State Department. Since state resources are allocated to more urgent recovery efforts following a hurricane, state archaeologists do not plan to visit the site.

"They have been stationary for the most part since 1899, when they were destroyed by a hurricane," DOS spokeswoman Sarah Revell wrote. "From time to time, some parts of the site have been exposed."

According to the Florida Historical Society, the Carrabelle Hurricane of 1899 bears this name because after being destroyed in the Dominican Republic, it entered the town of Carrabelle, in the Panhandle area of ​​Florida, with a category 2 force, destroying approximately 57 city ships almost entirely out of the map. According to the Florida Historical Society, the hurricane killed at least seven people and injured hundreds, as well as extensive damage in other coastal communities around Florida.

Michael was much stronger, reaching the Panhandle in category 4 and inflicting considerable damage far beyond the coast. CNN reported Saturday that officials had brought the death toll to at least 36, including 26 in Florida and others in Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia. (According to the Tampa Bay Times, the death toll in Florida was still ongoing, in part because of "damaged infrastructure and poor communications in Bay and Gulf counties" on Friday.)

The city of Mexico Beach has been so damaged, with a reported rate of destruction of 85% among homes subject to a 14-foot storm surge, that it is unclear whether the community can rebuild itself or whether it will be taken care of by promoters Long had the eyes riveted on its waterfront properties, writes the Palm Beach Post. In Franklin County, a storm surge destroyed homes and destroyed roads near the shore.

As the shipwrecks dating back to nearly a century and a half show, the damage caused by gigantic storms such as Michael can leave unimaginable traces. In Florida, many of the most affected areas were among the poorest in the state. As the New York Times wrote Sunday, locals fear being deprived of the support they need to rebuild their communities in the long run, not just now.

"We came here because we know people will start to forget," 49-year-old Plant City volunteer Norma Ward, who was involved in the distribution of supplies in the city of Marianna, told the Times. "There are very few pictures of houses and broken trees on television. Then you start thinking, "OK, everything is fine again".

[Tallahassee Democrat]