Storm surge has begun to overtake a seawall on U.S. Highway 98 in Gulf County as Hurricane Michael has approached the Florida Panhandle.
Footage from the Florida Department of Transportation on Wednesday, Oct. 10, shows water starting to come over the top.
An estimated storm surge of 9 to 14 feet could inundate parts of the Florida coast when Michael hits. The storm is currently a Category 4 with 145 mph winds, say weather forecasters.
The storm is currently about 65 miles south-southwest of Panama City.
Authorities told residents along the affected areas of Florida’s Gulf of Mexico coast that they had run out of time to evacuate and should hunker down.
More than 2.1 million residents of at least 20 Florida counties were under mandatory or voluntary evacuation orders. Much of the area is rural and known for small tourist cities, beaches and wildlife reserves, as well as Tallahassee.
“Hurricane Michael is forecast to be the most destructive hurricane to hit the Florida Panhandle in a century,” Governor Rick Scott told reporters, speaking about seven hours before Michael was expected to make landfall.
“Reports from an Air Force Reserve Hurricane Hunter aircraft indicate that maximum sustained winds have increased to near 145 mph with higher gusts. Michael is an extremely dangerous category 4 hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind Scale. Some additional strengthening is possible before landfall. After landfall, Michael should weaken as it crosses the southeastern United States,” the NHC wrote. The storm has an estimated minimum central pressure of 928 millibars.
