PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla.—A lack of power and phone service in the areas of Florida flattened by Hurricane Michael last week was hindering efforts on Oct. 17 to distribute food and water and to contact residents not heard from since the storm plowed through the state’s Panhandle.
The hurricane, one of the most powerful storms on record to hit the continental United States, killed at least 30 people, according to county officials. It packed top sustained winds of 155 miles per hour that toppled power lines and unleashed a surge of seawater that demolished homes.
Florida officials have not said how many people are missing. Many people may not be able to call friends and family or may be staying elsewhere and are not necessarily presumed dead. Debris, downed trees, and power lines have hampered access to stranded people.
Teams made up of hundreds of volunteers with the Houston-based CrowdSource Rescue organization were trying to reach 720 people in Florida who lost contact with friends and family, said Matthew Marchetti, the organization’s co-founder.
Most of those unaccounted for are from Panama City and many are elderly, disabled, impoverished, or live alone, Marchetti said. “For every one person we have made contact with, there are probably three we haven’t.”
He said the search has been hindered by spotty cell phone coverage in the devastated area, though authorities are making progress in restoring communications. “The hardest hit in disasters are generally our most vulnerable populations,” he said.
Many residents have also expressed frustration at the slow pace of recovery of wireless networks. Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai on Oct. 16 called for wireless carriers to waive bills for customers affected by the storm.
The death toll includes 20 in Florida after three more deaths were confirmed on Oct. 16, one in Georgia, three in North Carolina, and six in Virginia, according to a Reuters tally of official reports. Officials said medical examiners were determining whether another four deaths in Florida resulted from the storm.
About 35,000 Floridians have called the Federal Emergency Management Agency seeking help since and the agency has already approved $1 million in assistance for people in 12 counties, spokesman Ruben Brown in Tallahassee said.
FEMA has distributed about 4.5 million meals, more than 5 million liters of water and 9 million infant-and-toddler kits, he said.
The state government is distributing ice, water, and about 3 million ready-to-eat meals, Governor Rick Scott’s office said.
Nearly 155,000 homes and businesses remained without power in the U.S. Southeast, with residents of battered coastal towns forced to cook on fires and barbecue grills.
At least 70 percent of customers in four mainly rural Florida Panhandle counties were without electricity on Oct. 17. On Oct. 16, the federal government said that 61.5 percent of cell sites remained out of service in Bay County. Officials said it could be weeks before power returns to some.
Countless numbers of people in the region’s backcountry have struggled for days without running water or sanitation, awaiting help from authorities. Some have been camping in tents with the belongings they were able to salvage.
In Mexico Beach, which took a direct hit, some residents who returned to survey the damage made some startling discoveries.
The storm shoved the top floor of Charles and Janice Anderson’s vacation home hundreds of yards from its foundation—with the living room intact and a stuffed marlin still hanging on the wall.
“It’s miraculous if all we have is two fatalities,” said Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey.
By Brian Snyder
