Watching Michael
Hurricane Michael's impact continues to be felt, from Florida to Virginia, two days after the record-breaking storm made landfall.
More than a million customers were without power across five states and as of Friday afternoon, 14 people were reported dead across four of the states.
You are receiving this emergency information newsletter as a special service because you subscribe to the Top 5 newsletter at The Anderson Independent-Mail, Asheville Citizen-Times, The Greenville News, The (Fort Myers) News-Press, Naples Daily News, Florida Today, Treasure Coast Newspapers, Tallahassee Democrat or Pensacola News Journal. Scroll down for more location-specific information.
Paywalls on the websites and apps have also been suspended to provide important public safety information, so please click through the links below for updated information in your area.
General storm news (scroll down for location-specific information):
The Florida Panhandle continues to be ground zero for damage assessment and recovery efforts. Residents returned to communities like Mexico Beach to complete shock at the complete destruction done to their homes.
FEMA noted that many of those areas were still not safe for people to return to.
The extent of the damage became even more evident in before and after satellite images of the coastline.
As Michael headed for the Atlantic, heavy rain and flooding caused by the storm also led the deaths of four motorists and a firefighter in Virginia.
For the Tallahassee area:
The devastation to the coast is overwhelming, but certain homes emerged unscathed by the storm.
Further inland in Gadsen County, where a 44-year-old was killed, residents of the rural area were left to pick up the pieces.
The rate of power restoration in the state capital suggests 90 percent of the city could have power resorted by the end of the weekend.
Cell towers were being worked on to restore cell service, too.
Elsewhere in Florida:
What made Michael stand out from other hurricanes? This experience inside a Panama City hotel for one, Waffle House closing it's location in the coastal city, too.
More than just people evacuated Panama City for Michael: Zoo animals did too. The nearby Gulf Breeze Zoo is offering assistance and a place to go if need be for some of the critters affected.
The Humane Society of Naples did its part to help animals too, rescuing dozens of dogs (and yes, puppies!) from the storm's path.
Elsewhere in the Carolinas:
Two people died in North Carolina after crashing into a tree brought down by Michael's winds.
Flooding and high winds hampered both states, causing power outages for up to 11,000 in one South Carolina county at one time.
Was this newsletter helpful? Let us know here.