Hurricane Michael: Florida Governor Rick Scott ‘scared to death’ for residents as 155mph winds pummel Panhandle
Evacuation window closes as Michael approaches Category 5 wind speeds
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Hurricane Michael has hit the coast of Florida, bringing 155mph winds and a life-threatening storm surge of up to 13ft (4m).
The hurricane strengthened to a Category 4 storm, with wind speeds almost pushing the top-level Category 5 – with authorities warning that the “potentially catastrophic” cyclone will cause major damage.
“Our biggest concern is … the people that chose not to evacuate,” Mr Scott told CNN. Earlier, the governor warned of “unimaginable devastation” before the storm hit land.
“Hurricane Michael is forecast to be the most destructive hurricane to hit the Florida Panhandle in a century,” Mr Scott said. Donald Trump has said that “we are very well prepared” for impact.
Follow our liveblog below bringing you all the latest on Hurricane Michael.
Additional reporting by agencies
The wall of the eye of Hurricane Michael made landfall at Panama City, Florida, minutes ago.
The National Hurricane Center says Michael has made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, and pushing the storm surge with 155 mph (250 kph) winds.
With the new wind speed, Hurricane Michael is just 2mph away from being designated as a Category 5 storm.
More than 200,000 power outages have been reported in the hour since Michael made landfall.
Brock Long, in charge of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) made note earlier in the day the power could be out "for weeks" in some part of the storm's path.
Pictures of the preliminary damage show the devastation of 155mph winds and heavy rain.
Here a hotel canopy collapsed on parked vehicles nearby in Panama City, Florida.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
A trash can and debris are blown down a street in Panama City, Florida, as the hurricane made landfall.
Joe Raedle/Getty Images
The hurricane is having a massive impact on the Gulf coast's oil production.
The Category 4 storm, which made landfall in Mexico City, Florida, at 155mph, has knocked crude oil production by 42 per cent and natural gas by almost a third.
A federal agency, the Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement (BSEE), said halted daily production of more than 700,000 barrels of oil and more than 800 million cubic feet of natural gas just ahead of landfall.
Companies like BP, Shell, and others have pulled workers off 89 oil rigs in the Gulf of Mexico which were in the path of the storm. However, US oil refineries in the Gulf continue to operate per the BSEE.
Florida officials said evacuation numbers were lower than they expected, but critics have pointed out many areas in the panhandle had no suitable shelters available to withstand a potentially Category 5 hurricane - Michael is just 2mph short of that catastrophic designation.
There are some shelters set up and because of safety concerns about windows and roof structures, evacuees at Rutherford High School in Panama City, Florida, have to shelter in the hallways.
AP Photo/Gerald Herbert
A local news station captures the moment a roof flew off a building in Panama City, Florida.
Those are all the updates on Hurricane Michael we have for now, but stay tuned here for more of our up-to-the-minute coverage of the storm.
And check independent.co.uk/us for more of our reporting.
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