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A6 U.S. NEWS
Tuesday 9 OcTOber 2018

Florida, Alabama bracing for 'monstrous' Hurricane Michael

By JENNIFER KAY and GARY casting hub, wrote in an
FINEOUT advisory.
Associated Press A large mound of sand in
MIAMI (AP) — Residents of Tallahassee was whittled
Florida's Panhandle fran- down to a small pile within
tically filled sandbags, hours Monday as residents
boarded up homes and filled sandbags to prepare
secured boats in harbors for potential flooding. A
Monday as they anxiously couple breweries in the city
awaited Hurricane Mi- offered free filtered wa-
chael, which forecasters ter to anyone bringing in
warned could smash into growlers, jugs or other con-
the northeast Gulf Coast tainers.
as a dangerous major hur- Tallahassee Mayor Andrew
ricane within days. Gillum, Florida's Democrat-
Fueled by warm tropical ic nominee for governor,
waters, fast-strengthening had planned to campaign
Michael could gain major in South Florida on Monday
hurricane status with winds and Tuesday, but instead
topping 111 mph (179 kph) threw himself into helping
before its anticipated land- his city's residents fill sand-
fall Wednesday on the Pan- bags and get their storm
handle or Big Bend area of preparations completed.
Florida, forecasters have "Today it is about life and
warned. safety," Gillum said. "There's
Florida Gov. Rick Scott nothing between us and
called Michael a "mon- this storm but warm water
strous hurricane" with dev- and I think that's what ter-
astating potential from rifies us about the potential
high winds, storm surge and impacts."
heavy rains. Tallahassee City Commis-
He declared a state of sioner Gil Ziffer warned that
emergency for 35 Florida if the storm hits Florida's
counties from the Panhan- capital, there would be sig-
dle to Tampa Bay, activat- Capt. Steve Haeusler, left, and Wyatt Ferreira take down the sign for Haeusler's charter fishing boat nificant tree damage and
"First Light" on Monday, Oct. 8, 2018. Boat captains in this fishing community were relocating their
ed hundreds of Florida Na- vessels to safer locations in advance of Hurricane Michael. power outages. "Hopefully
tional Guard members and Associated Press we will have no one hurt
waived tolls to encourage and no loss of life," Ziffer
those close to the coast to inlet to the Gulf of Mexico lying coastal areas in Gulf, kph) as it headed north added.
evacuate inland. famed for producing about Wakulla and Bay counties. at 9 mph (14.5 kph). The Two years ago, Hurricane
In the small Panhandle city 90 percent of Florida's oys- In a Facebook post Mon- storm was centered about Hermine knocked out pow-
of Apalachicola, Mayor ters. day, the Wakulla County 30 miles (48 kilometers) off er for days in Tallahassee
Van Johnson Sr. said the By Monday evening, lines Sheriff's Office said no the western tip of Cuba, and caused widespread
2,300 residents are franti- had formed at gas sta- shelters would be open and about 520 miles (837 flooding as it came up
cally preparing for a major tions and grocery stories as because Wakulla County kilometers) south of Apala- through the Gulf Coast.
strike. people sought emergency shelters were rated safe chicola. Hurricane-force Ann Beaver was among
"We're looking at a signifi- supplies even as the antici- only for hurricanes with top winds extend outward up the three-quarters of city
cant storm with significant pated evacuations would sustained winds below 111 to 35 miles (56 kilometers) residents who lost power
impact, possibly greater be intensifying in coming mph (178 kph). With Mi- from the core and tropical- after that storm. She was
than I've seen in my 59 hours. Mandatory evacua- chael's winds projected to storm-force winds out up to preparing Monday for a
years of life," he said of the tion orders were issued for be even stronger than that, 175 miles (282 kilometers). similar experience.
city, which sits on the shore residents of barrier islands, Wakulla County residents Michael was lashing west- "I don't want to lose every-
of Apalachicola Bay, an mobile homes and low- were urged to evacuate ern Cuba on Monday with thing in the freezer, but it is
inland. heavy rains and strong what is," said Beaver as she
"This storm has the poten- winds. Forecasters warned loaded sandbags into her
tial to be a historic storm, that the storm could pro- family's pickup truck.
please take heed," the duce up to a foot (30 cen- Farther west along Flori-
sheriff's office said in the timeters) of rain in western da's Panhandle, the city
post. Cuba, potentially triggering of Pensacola tweeted to
High winds weren't the only flash floods and mudslides residents, "Be sure you have
danger. Parts of Florida's in mountainous areas. your emergency plan in
curvy Big Bend could see Since the storm will spend place."
up to 12 feet (3.7 meters) two to three days over the In neighboring Alabama,
of storm surge, while Mi- Gulf of Mexico, which has Gov. Kay Ivey signed an
chael also could dump up warm water and favorable emergency declaration for
to a foot (30 centimeters) of atmospheric conditions, her entire state Monday in
rain over some Panhandle "there is a real possibility anticipation of widespread
communities as it moves in- that Michael will strengthen power outages, wind dam-
land, forecasters said. to a major hurricane be- age and heavy rain from
By 5 p.m. Monday, Mi- fore landfall," Robbie Berg, the storm getting set to
chael's top sustained winds a hurricane specialist at the cross the eastern Gulf of
were around 80 mph (129 Miami-based storm fore- Mexico in coming hours.q