The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration posted a pair of images Thursday night showing some of the wreckage Post-Tropical Cyclone Michael caused in parts of Florida.
NOAA published images of Mexico Beach, Florida, after the small town absorbed most of the initial blast from Michael. The images are a stark reminder of what a Category 4 hurricane is capable of doing, given the right circumstances.
The before images show a small, thriving ocean-front town, replete with commercial buildings and homes. Photos of the town after Michael rolled through appear to show an area blasted by sharp winds and torrential rain.
BEFORE:
Pictured is Mexico Beach, Florida, before Hurricane Michael. (Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
AFTER:
Pictured is Mexico Beach, Florida, after Hurricane Michael. (Photo: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration)
Federal officials say Mexico Beach took the bulk of the initial hit. It’s too early to tell if the city’s inhabitants heeded the evacuation warnings.
“Mexico Beach took the brunt,” FEMA Administrator Brock Long said Thursday shortly after Michael left Florida and made tracks for Georgia and Virginia. “That’s probably ground zero.”
CNN’s Brooke Baldwin showed overhead footage of Mexico Beach Thursday morning.
“It’s gone. It’s gone,” Baldwin said Thursday while flying over the city. “It’s obliterated and it’s awful. It’s awful to look at.”
Michael made landfall in the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 hurricane before cutting a swath of destruction through parts of Georgia and Virginia. Officials worry the number of people killed could rise once they sift through the debris.
Damaged and destroyed buildings are seen in an aerial photograph, taken during a post-Hurricane Michael flight by a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter over Mexico Beach, Florida, October 11, 2018. U.S. Coast Guard/Petty Officer 1st Class Colin Hunt/Handout via REUTERS
Damaged and destroyed buildings are seen in an aerial photograph, taken during a post-Hurricane Michael flight by a U.S. Coast Guard MH-65 helicopter over Mexico Beach, Florida, U.S. Oct. 11, 2018. Picture taken October 11, 2018. U.S. Coast Guard/Petty Officer 1st Class Colin Hunt/Handout via REUTERS.
An aerial view shows debris strewn over streets after Hurricane Michael blew through Mexico Beach, Florida, Oct. 11, 2018 in this still image taken from drone video obtained from social media. Duke Energy/via REUTERS
A damaged area is seen during a post-Hurricane Michael flight by a a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Panama City, Florida, October 11, 2018. Picture taken Oct. 11, 2018. U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Glenn Fawcett/Handout via REUTERS
The storm is expected to produce storm surge flooding along the North Carolina coast, drop rain on New England, and could even produce up to 5 inches of rain in Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts before moving out to the Atlantic Ocean.
The death toll increased to 11, with at least five of the deaths occurring in Virginia, according to officials. (RELATED: ‘It’s Gone. It’s Gone’: Hurricane Michael Effectively Flattened This Florida City)
Damaged and destroyed buildings are seen during a post-Hurricane Michael flight by a a U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air and Marine Operations UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter near Panama City, Florida, Oct. 11, 2018. Picture taken October 11, 2018. U.S. Customs and Border Protection/Glenn Fawcett/Handout via REUTERS.
Four died in Virginia after being swept away in floodwaters along roads, and the fifth was a firefighter who was killed in a crash along a highway, according to the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
Follow Chris White on Facebook and Twitter
All content created by the Daily Caller News Foundation, an independent and nonpartisan newswire service, is available without charge to any legitimate news publisher that can provide a large audience. All republished articles must include our logo, our reporter’s byline and their DCNF affiliation. For any questions about our guidelines or partnering with us, please contact licensing@dailycallernewsfoundation.org.