Scope of Michael’s fury becomes clearer in Florida Panhandle

Residents line up for food from the Red Cross outside a damaged motel, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, in Panama City, Fla., where many residents continue to live in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Some residents rode out the storm and have no place to go even though many of the rooms at the motel are uninhabitable. (AP Photo/David Goldman) Residents line up for food from the Red Cross outside a damaged motel, Tuesday, Oct. 16, 2018, in Panama City, Fla., where many residents continue to live in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. Some residents rode out the storm and have no place to go even though many of the rooms at the motel are uninhabitable. (AP Photo/David Goldman)

By Associated Press October 17, 2018 3 min read

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (AP) – Hurricane Michael killed at least 16 people in Florida, most of them in the coastal county that took a direct hit from the storm, state emergency authorities said Tuesday. That’s in addition to at least 10 deaths elsewhere across the South.

The scope of the storm’s fury became clearer after nearly a week of missing-persons reports and desperate searches of the Florida Panhandle neighborhoods devastated by the most powerful hurricane to hit the continental U.S. in nearly 50 years.

The count of 16 dead was twice the number previously tallied by The Associated Press.

Emergency authorities said 12 of the deaths were in Bay County, where the storm slammed ashore with 155 mph (250 kph) winds and towering storm surge last Wednesday.

Bay County includes Mexico Beach, the ground-zero town of 1,000 people that was nearly obliterated, as well as Tyndall Air Force Base, Panama City and Lynn Haven, all of which were heavily damaged.