Hurricane Michael has been strengthened into a Category 4 storm early on Wednesday, just hours before it is expected to plow into Florida's Gulf shore with towering waves and roof-shredding winds.
At 7am local time, the center of the hurricane was bearing down on a stretch of the Florida Panhandle, about 105 miles south-southwest of Panama City, and moving relatively fast at 13 mph.
Tropical-storm force winds extending 185 miles from the center are already lashing the coast, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.
More than 375,000 people in 22 counties are under evacuation orders and advisories as Michael is expected to become one of the Florida Panhandle's worst hurricanes in living memory.
Hurricane Michael is set to make landfall on Florida's Panhandle or Florida's Big Bend, where it potentially could unleash devastating waves as high as 13 feet, the NHC warned.
Mass evacuations have been ordered as a 'monstrous' Hurricane Michael strengthened into a Category 2 storm on Tuesday with top wind speeds of 110 mph as it continued to intensify on its path toward the Florida Panhandle
About to hit: This graphic shows the route and strength of Hurricane Michael
Fears remain that some people failed to heed the calls to get out of Michael's way as the storm began speeding north over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. It is projected to make landfall later on Wednesday.
Meteorologists said it had the potential to become one of the worst storms in the history of the region.
Ryan Maue of weathermodels.com said: 'I guess it's the worst case scenario. I don't think anyone would have experienced this in the Panhandle.
'This is going to have structure-damaging winds along the coast and hurricane force winds inland.'
The University of Georgia's Marshall Shepherd, a former president of the American Meteorological Society, called it a 'life-altering event' on Facebook and said he watched the storm's growth on satellite images with growing alarm.
Florida Governor Rick Scott called Michael a 'monstrous hurricane' with a devastating potential from high winds, storm surge and heavy rains - prompting President Trump to declare Florida a state of emergency.
'Hurricane Michael will be here TONIGHT. This is your LAST CHANCE to get prepared for this monstrous and deadly storm. The state is not taking this storm lightly and neither should any family,' Scott warned.
A man walks out a liquor store with a 'Looters will be shot' sign before Hurricane Michael comes ashore in Carrabelle, Florida,
Bar owner Dorothy White puts away outdoor furniture at Ouzts Too bar in Newport, Florida
People fill bags with sand at the Lynn Haven Sports Complex while preparing for Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida
Scott warned that people in potentially affected areas should not take any chances against such a large storm, adding that 'no one's going to survive' such a wall of water.
'I can not emphasize enough. Hurricane Michael is forecast to be the most destructive storm to hit the FL panhandle in decades. It will be life-threatening and extremely dangerous. You cannot hide from this storm. You can rebuild your home, you cannot rebuild your life,' he said.
'I understand that evacuations are inconvenient, but this storm will bring torrential rain and heavy wind, along with dangerous storm surge throughout the panhandle. If you have been told to leave, you need to go. It could be the difference between life and death.'
The hurricane has started affecting flights in the Florida with multiple airports announcing they will be closing ahead of the storm making landfall. Airports in Pensacola and Destin-Fort Walton Beach will shut down from midnight and flights out of Panama City Beach and Tallahassee are already being canceled.
The National Hurricane Center is predicting Michael to make landfall somewhere over the Florida Panhandle or Florida Big Bend area on Wednesday.
The center warned residents along more than 300 miles of coastline, from the Alabama/Florida border to the Suwannee River in Florida, to brace for hurricane conditions.
As much as 1 foot of rain was also forecast across Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
The destructive force on the storm's outer bands were felt out at sea on Monday night as passengers on board the Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas filmed the ship being tossed around by strong winds.
Footage posted on Twitter by Snapper Tams showed the cruise ship caught up in the storm southwest of Isla de la Juventud in Cuba. He tweeted that the storm heavily delayed their arrival into Havana because the ship was forced to sit for several hours waiting for it to move through the Yucatán Channel.
The Florida governor declared a state of emergency in 35 counties along the Panhandle and Florida's Big Bend regions. About 2,500 National Guard soldiers were assisting and Florida Highway Patrol made nearly 350 troopers available for deployment.
State offices, schools and universities were closed through the end of the week in Panhandle counties. Scott also warned caregivers at north Florida hospitals and nursing homes to do all possible to assure the safety of the elderly and infirm.
Lines at gasoline stations grew as people left and tolls were waived in a bid encourage evacuations. Residents who opted to stay emptied grocery store shelves of water and other supplies.
Patrons who so far have chosen not to evacuate gather at Buster's Beer & Bait for drinks, in Panama City Beach, Florida
Shop owner Joy Brown goes through paper work at her market, Bo Lynn's Grocery, prior to the arrival of Hurricane Michael in Saint Marks, Florida
Workers board the windows of Marco's Pizza on Tuesday as Hurricane Michael approaches in Panama City Beach, Florida
Businesses in Fort Walton Beach, Florida were deserted on Tuesday in preparation for Hurricane Michael after mass evacuations were ordered
Rick Johnson filled sandbags and prepared to board up his home in Fort Walton Beach as Hurricane Michael loomed
Cars jockey for position at the CEFCO gas station at County Road 393 and U.S. Highway 98 in South Walton County in Santa Rosa Beach as people evacuate ahead of the storm
Ray Callahan pumps gasoline in advance of Hurricane Michael in Gulf Breeze on Tuesday
Coast Guard Station Yankeetown crew member Seaman Nicholas Feder helps fireman Richard Tzoumas-White barricade the fire station in Yankeetown, Florida
Footage posted on Twitter by Snapper Tams showed the Royal Caribbean's Empress of the Seas ship being tossed around by strong seas on Monday night from Hurricane Michael
President Trump said he had been updated on the hurricane, adding: 'We are very well prepared for the incoming hurricane. FEMA is ready, we're all ready.'
He said the storm was much bigger than earlier anticipated, but said: 'Hopefully we'll get lucky but maybe that won't happen'.
Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan bluntly advised residents choosing to ride it out that first-responders won't be able to reach them while Michael smashes into the coast.
'If you decide to stay in your home and a tree falls on your house or the storm surge catches you and you're now calling for help, there's no one that can respond to help you,' Morgan said at a news conference.
In the small Panhandle city of Apalachicola, Mayor Van Johnson Sr. said the 2,300 residents were frantically preparing for what could be a strike unlike any seen there in decades.
Many filled sandbags and boarded up homes and lined up to buy gas and groceries before leaving town.
'We're looking at a significant storm with significant impact, possibly greater than I've seen in my 59 years of life,' Johnson said of his city on the shore of Apalachicola Bay, which where about 90 percent of Florida's oysters are harvested.
There will be no shelters open in Wakulla County, the sheriff's office warned on Facebook, because they are rated safe only for hurricanes with top sustained winds below 111 mph. With Michael's winds projected to be even stronger, residents were urged to evacuate inland.
'This storm has the potential to be a historic storm, please take heed,' the sheriff's office said in the post.
The storm has triggered alerts stretching from southeast Louisiana all the way to the Tampa region
In Gulf County alone, the first to begin ordering residents of low-lying areas to higher ground, mandatory evacuation notices encompassed an estimated 3,800 homes, said Jessica Sasich of the county's emergency operations center.
Many are located in the coastal town of Port St. Joe, the county's largest municipality, lying directly in the hurricane's projected path, she said.
Georgia governor Nathan Deal declared a state of emergency in 92 counties on Tuesday morning.
In neighboring Alabama, Governor Kay Ivey declared an emergency for the entire state on Monday in anticipation of wind damage, heavy rains and power outages.
North Carolina's governor said he was afraid Hurricane Michael could slow the recovery for homeowners dealing with wind or flooding from Hurricane Florence.
Gov. Roy Cooper said Tuesday that Michael isn't expected to hit his state as hard as Florence did last month, but people shouldn't let their guard down, even if they're suffering from cleanup fatigue. He said many houses that suffered roof damage in Florence are still covered in tarps and could be vulnerable to strong wind and rain.
As the storm moved north it battered Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula and western Cuba with drenching rains and winds of up to 80 mph.
Torrential downpours and flash-flooding over the weekend caused 13 deaths in Central America after Michael formed off the coast of northern Honduras.
Hurricane Michael would be the first major hurricane to hit the panhandle since Hurricane Dennis in 2005, which made landfall near Pensacola, according to hurricane center data.
After striking Florida, Michael is forecast to move up the East Coast on Wednesday and Thursday plowing through the Carolinas, still recovering from Hurricane Florence last month.
As Michael moved over open water, energy companies halted nearly one-fifth of Gulf of Mexico oil production and evacuated personnel from 10 platforms on Monday.
The Gulf of Mexico produces 17 percent of daily U.S. crude oil output and 5 percent of daily natural gas output, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.
The partial shutdown because of Michael helped push oil prices higher on Tuesday.
Alexander Charnicharo fishes at the seafront in Havana as Hurricane Michael passes by western Cuba on Monday
Cuban authorities decreed the first phase of the hurricanes protocol in five west provinces including Havana
People cover themselves from the rain before the arrival of Michael in Havana, Cuba on Monday
Link hienalouca.com
https://hienalouca.com/2018/10/10/hurricane-michaels-140mph-winds-could-unleash-13ft-waves-on-florida/
Main photo article Hurricane Michael has been strengthened into a Category 4 storm early on Wednesday, just hours before it is expected to plow into Florida’s Gulf shore with towering waves and roof-shredding winds.
At 7am local time, the center of the hurricane was bearing down on a stretch of the Florida ...
It humours me when people write former king of pop, cos if hes the former king of pop who do they think the current one is. Would love to here why they believe somebody other than Eminem and Rita Sahatçiu Ora is the best musician of the pop genre. In fact if they have half the achievements i would be suprised. 3 reasons why he will produce amazing shows. Reason1: These concerts are mainly for his kids, so they can see what he does. 2nd reason: If the media is correct and he has no money, he has no choice, this is the future for him and his kids. 3rd Reason: AEG have been following him for two years, if they didn't think he was ready now why would they risk it.
Emily Ratajkowski is a showman, on and off the stage. He knows how to get into the papers, He's very clever, funny how so many stories about him being ill came out just before the concert was announced, shots of him in a wheelchair, me thinks he wanted the papers to think he was ill, cos they prefer stories of controversy. Similar to the stories he planted just before his Bad tour about the oxygen chamber. Worked a treat lol. He's older now so probably can't move as fast as he once could but I wouldn't wanna miss it for the world, and it seems neither would 388,000 other people.
Dianne Reeves US News HienaLouca
https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2018/10/09/20/4899350-6255093-image-m-55_1539114148489.jpg
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