Gulf Coast in Last Minute Preparations as Hurricane Michael Approaches

Hurricane Michael is coming, and it looks like it will slam the states along the eastern Gulf of Mexico with a mighty blow.

Florida, Georgia, and Alabama have already declared emergencies as the hurricane continues to strengthen and make its way north across the Gulf.

More than 120,000 people have been advised to evacuate some Florida Panhandle cities. Airports are shut down, and cruise ships have been diverted, according to Weather.com.

Florida Disaster.org has a complete list of evacuation alerts and warnings.

Surface wind field of Hurricane Michael at 7pm, Oct. 9, 2018. NOAA

Pensacola International Airport will be closed until the storm’s effects have passed, while Tallahassee International Airport will be closed all of Oct. 10 and until 8 a.m. Oct. 11, Weather.com reported.

Carnival Cruises has rescheduled six of its liners which were due to enter the storm’s zone of impact. Norwegian Cruise Lines has also rerouted one ship.

‘A monstrous storm’

A map shows at-risk areas in Florida ahead of Hurricane Michael. FloridaDisaster

Florida Governor Rick Scott told a news conference on Oct. 9, “Hurricane Michael is a monstrous storm and the forecast just keeps getting more dangerous, we are now just hours from seeing impacts.

“If you are in an evacuation order, leave. Don’t wait. If you are on the fence, don’t think about it. Do it. This storm can kill you."

Governor Scott put a moratorium on all bridge tolls to make evacuating a bit more budget-friendly.

The governor also called up 2,500 Florida National Guard, with another 300 on stand-by, to help out anywhere they might be needed.

Escambia County Sheriff David Morgan warned residents at a press conference on Oct. 8: “If you decide to stay in your home and a tree falls on your house or the storm surge catches you and you’re now calling for help, there’s no one that can respond to help you.”

Panhandle residents have been stocking up on food, fuel, water, and storm necessities ahead of time. Costco has limited shoppers to two cases of bottled water, while lines are forming outside gas stations, recalling the fuel shortages of the early 1970s.

One Tallahassee gas station ran out of gas, Storyful reported.

Military Bases, Oil Rigs Preparing for Disaster

Drivers line up for gasoline in Tallahassee, Florida as Hurricane Michael bears down on the northern Gulf coast of Florida on October 8, 2018. Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images

The military is preparing for Hurricane Michael as much as the civilian population is.

Tyndall Air Force Base lies just 12 miles east of Panama City, while Eglin Air Force base and Hurlburt Field are right in Fort Walton Beach, just a mile from the ocean. All three bases are evacuating aircraft northward, to Little Rock Air Force Base.

Meanwhile, oil companies have cut production form Gulf offshore wells, and have evacuated personnel from 13 offshore rigs.

According to Reuters, oil companies including Anadarko Petroleum Corp, BHP Billiton, BP, Exxon-Mobil, Chevron Corp, and Norwegian state oil company Equinor and have decided to shut down some offshore rigs rather than risk having the workers stay on the rigs.

John Tharp, operations supervisor at Weather Decision Technologies, told Reuters that Hurricane Michael could bring 15- to 20-foot waves.

People look out to the Gulf of Mexico in Panama City Beach, Florida as Hurricane Michael approaches Oct. 9, 2018 Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

According to Reuters, Michael is expected to be a near Category 4 hurricane when it makes landfall anytime from the early hours of Oct. 10, with winds topping 120 mph and a storm surge of as much as 13 feet.

Michael is expected to hit the Florida Gulf coast somewhere between Fort Walton Beach and Panama City, but the storm could head in any direction.

Alabama is just west of the target area, and Georgia just north. With the storm expected to bring as much as a foot of rain, even inland communities could be at risk for flooding.

From NTD.tv

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