Hurricane Michael death toll rises to 17 as rescue crews frantically search wreckage of 155mph storm in Florida and Georgia
The announcement comes after Sarah Radney, 11, was killed when a metal-framed gazebo was picked up by winds and then crashed through the roof of her home on to her head
THE death toll from Hurricane Michael has risen to 17 - with officials warning it'll "keep climbing" as rescuers sift through the wreckage.
The announcement comes after Sarah Radney, 11, was killed when a metal-framed gazebo was picked up by winds and then crashed through the roof of her home on to her head.
Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Brock Long said: "Rescuers have so far been unable to conduct thorough searches there. I think you're going to see it climb."
Oceanfront communities such as Mexico Beach and Panama City bore the brunt of the storm's rage.
Shocking photos show the devastation in Mexico Beach - with some onlookers claiming the seaside town looked like it had been struck by a nuclear bomb.
A Florida man also died when a tree crushed his home during the "hell" storm.
Much of Port St. Joe, 12 miles east of Mexico Beach, was flooded after Michael snapped boats in two and hurled a large ship onto the shore.
Mayor Bo Patterson said: "We had houses that were on one side of the street and now they're on the other."
He added he watched trees fly by his window as he rode out the storm in his home seven blocks from the beach.
Patterson estimated 1,000 homes were completely or partially destroyed in his town of 3,500 people.
Jordon Tood, 31, a charter boat captain in Port St. Joe, said: "There were mandatory evacuation orders, but only idiots like us stuck around.
"This was my sixth (hurricane), so I thought I was prepared."
In Apalachicola, about 30 miles east of where the storm made landfall, a little less than half of the 2,200 people stayed and rode out the storm, residents said.
Local resident Danny Itzkovitz, 54, said: "I've never seen anything like this craziness.
"We've had storms before - in '05 we had four or five in a row. I didn't even take the boards off my window. But, holy smokes, this one kicked our butt."
Some 1.4 million people are now without power in Florida, Alabama and Georgia.
It destroyed an entire air base, downed power lines and shredded trees, while torrential rain also brought catastrophic floods.
National Hurricane Center meteorologist Dennis Feltgen warned earlier this week that Florida was "in new territory".
He said: "The historical record, going back to 1851, finds no Category 4 hurricane ever hitting the Florida panhandle."
Scientists say it was so strong because warm waters of 84F (29C) extended unusually far up the northern Gulf Coast for this time of year after Florida had its warmest September ever.
Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, a tourist town along the Panhandle, a 200-mile stretch of white-sand beach resorts, fishing towns and military bases.
The hurricane swamped streets, snapped trees like twigs and sent building debris flying across the beachfront.
Officials said nearly 1 million homes and businesses were without power across Alabama, Georgia and Florida as a result of the hurricane.
Authorities said 280 residents of Mexico Beach who ignored evacuation orders were also missing.
Cops also revealed a Florida Panhandle man was killed by a falling tree as Michael tore through the state.
He was killed after a tree crashed through the roof of his Greenboro home and trapped him inside, according to the Gadsden County Sheriff's Office.
Emergency crews were heading to the home, but downed power lines and blocked roads made the trip difficult. Officials have yet to reveal the man's name.
It began unexpectedly from a weekend tropical depression, becoming a furious Category 4 by early Wednesday, up from a Category 2 less than a day earlier.
The storm came ashore as a Category 4 hurricane before it was downgraded to Category 3. By 8pm it was down to a Category 1.
Donald Trump tweeted: "Florida Highway Patrol Troopers are all en route to the Panhandle, from all across the state of Florida - to help those affected."
He included a video of cop cars rushing to the scenes of devastation.
The storm has the potential to drive sea water levels as high as 14ft above normal in some areas, the National Hurricane Center said.
Brad Kieserman of the American Red Cross said as many as 320,000 people on Florida's Gulf Coast had disregarded mandatory or voluntary evacuation notices.
An estimated 20,000 people were hunkering down in shelters.
Reuters news agency reported that Michael is the third most powerful storm ever to make landfall in the mainland US. And experts said it is the biggest on record to strike by Florida Panhandle.
News footage showed floodwaters up to the roofs of many homes in Mexico Beach. The fate of about 280 residents who authorities said defied evacuation orders was unknown.
It struck hours after Florida governor Rick Scott warned locals it was "too late" to flee and he was "scared to death" people had ignored evacuation orders.
He said he hoped no one kept children with them as they chose to ride it out, but the time to evacuate the "target zone" had "come and gone".
"This is the worst storm that our Florida Panhandle has seen in a century," said Governor Scott. "Hurricane Michael is upon us, and now is the time to seek refuge."
"If you chose not to evacuate ... you're not going to be able to get out. This thing is coming now. It's too late to get on the road," he told CNN.
Scott revealed communities across the Florida panhandle will see "unimaginable devastation," adding roof-shredding winds could easily top 150 mph.
Horror storm surges are also predicted leading to terrifying 31 ft high waves and devastating flash flooding.
About 3.8 million people are under hurricane warnings in Florida's Panhandle and Big Bend regions, along with parts of southeastern Alabama and southern Georgia.
Tropical storm warnings cover 15.9 million people in several states.
The National Hurricane Centre described the hurricane - which has wind gusts near its centre topping 165 mph - as "extremely dangerous."
One meteorologist described the weather front as a monster as an apparition of a skull was spotted at the heart of Hurricane Michael in satellite images.
Only three major hurricanes Category 3 or higher have struck the Panhandle since 1950: Eloise in 1975, Opal in 1995 and Dennis in 2005.
The area is a 200-mile stretch Florida lying between Alabama on the north west, Georgia on the north east and the Gulf of Mexico to the south
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee, Florida, warned: "A potentially catastrophic event is developing. Locations may be uninhabitable for weeks or months.";
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Brock Long says his agency is working "hand-in-hand" Governor Scott.
State Governor Rick Scott said: “This is going to be a long recovery but Florida is resilient, we help each other and we survive.” About 3,500 Florida National Guard troops have been mobilised, as well as 1,000 search-and-rescue personnel.
He praised Florida's use on Tuesday evening of the wireless emergency alert system to let residents know that the storm was getting stronger.
As for those who ignored evacuation orders, Long said people "who stick around and experience storm surge unfortunately don't usually live to tell about it".
Marco Rubio, a Republican Senator from Florida, said: "Every storm's different, but this storm is a monstrosity."
Jason Gunderson, a volunteer rescuer in Panama City, said: “The wind that came through here was surreal. It destroyed everything. It’s unliveable. It’s heartbreaking.”
Experts warned the damage bill could eventually top £3.7billion.
Michael caught many by surprise as it intensified from a tropical storm into a Category 4 hurricane in about 40 hours. It became the third-fiercest to hit the US — and the worst in Florida since 1935.
Its 155mph gusts were also the strongest recorded on the Florida Panhandle, the 200-mile strip on the north-western section of the state.
It was downgraded back to a tropical storm yesterday as President Donald Trump declared a state of emergency.
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368 . You can WhatsApp us on 07810 791 502. We pay for videos too. Click here to upload your