Miami Fire Chief Joseph Zahralban, leader of a search-and-rescue unit that entered Mexico Beach, said Friday that the team confirmed one fatality and is still trying to determine if there are others.
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Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long says he expects to see the death toll rise. Says Long: "We still haven't gotten into the hardest-hit areas."
Michael crashed ashore Wednesday as a Category 4 monster, one of the most powerful hurricanes ever to make a U.S. landfall.
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Tom Bailey walks his bike past a home that was carried across a road and slammed up against a condo complex as Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage.Charles Smith looks at what is left of his hotel after it was destroyed when Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage.Members of the South Florida Search and Rescue team search for survivors in the destruction left after Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage.A Coast Guard helicopter passes over a damaged home and the foundation of where a home once stood (to the right) before it was blown away by Hurricane Michael as it passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage.People line up at a food truck after Hurricane Michael cut power to the Florida panhandle on October 11, 2018 in Crawfordville, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a category 4 storm.Jim Bob looks out on the destruction caused as Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage.A member of the South Florida Search and Rescue team searches for survivors in the destruction left after Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage.Brian Bartlett from the South Florida Search and Rescue team checks in on Tom Garcia after Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. Mr. Garcia said he stayed in his home through the storm and he had to hold the sliding glass doors shut as the wind tore through. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage.Cars are piled on top of each other after Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage.Kathy Coy stands among what is left of her home on Oct. 11, 2018, after Hurricane Michael destroyed it in Panama City, Florida. She said she was in the home when it was blown apart and is thankful to be alive. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.A store's windows are seen shattered as Hurricane Michael passed through the downtown area on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.Rick Teska (L) helps a business owner rescue his dogs from the damaged business after Hurricane Michael passed through the area on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.Phlomena Telker stands on what was her covered porch after Hurricane Michael tore the roof off her home as it passed through the area on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.A McDonald's sign is seen laying on the ground after it was knocked down hy Hurricane Michael as it passed through the area on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.A fallen tree rests on a house after remnants of Hurricane Michael passed through on Oct. 11, 2018, in Columbia, South Carolina. The accident sent at least one person to the hospital.Gavin Conklin, 17, gathers water bottles from a neighbor's refrigerator on Oct. 10, 2018, after Hurricane Michael destroyed the home in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.Hector Benthall, right, gets a hug from his neighbor Keito Jordan after remnants of Hurricane Michael sent a tree crashing into Benthall's home on Oct. 11, 2018, in Columbia, South Carolina. Jordan was the first responder to the accident that sent at least one person to the hospital.Debris is strewn next to a mobile home destroyed by Hurricane Michael on Oct. 11, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.Debris is seen in the trees on Oct. 11, 2018, after Hurricane Michael passed through Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.People walk past an apartment destroyed by Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.Trees are seen stripped of their foliage on Oct. 11, 2018, after Hurricane Michael passed through Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.People walk past a home destroyed by Hurricane Michael on October 11, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.Amanda Logsdon begins the process of trying to clean up her home on Oct. 11, 2018, after the roof was blown off by Hurricane Michael in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane hit the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.People look on at a damaged store after Hurricane Michael passed through in Panama City, Florida.People walk past damaged stores after Hurricane Michael passed through the downtown area of Panama City, Florida.Damaged buildings and a flooded street are seen after Hurricane Michael passed through the downtown area of Panama City, Florida.Hurricane Michael strikes the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday.Boats that were docked are seen in a pile of rubble after hurricane Michael passed through downtown Panama City, Florida.Hurricane Michael strikes the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday.The roof of a motel has blown off a building on the west end of Panama City Beach. Windows have reportedly also been blown off.Scott Brazer and his dog Franklin take shelter in a parking garage as Hurricane Michael passes through the area on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane made landfall on the Florida Panhandle as a Category 4 storm.The storm surge from Hurricane Michael pushes into yards four hours prior to high tide on Oct. 10, 2018, in the Florida Panhandle community of Shell Point Beach. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Ellis Davis makes sure his boat is secure as the outer bands of Hurricane Michael arrive on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Mitchell Pope tries to salvage what he can from his mobile home as Hurricane Michael pushes the storm surge up the Wakulla and Saint Marks rivers which come together here on Oct. 10, 2018, in Saint Marks, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.The town of Saint Marks goes underwater as Hurricane Michael pushes the storm surge up the Wakulla and Saint Marks rivers which come together here on Oct. 10, 2018, in Saint Marks, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Shields Marina starts taking on water in the town of Saint Marks as Hurricane Michael pushes the storm surge up the Wakulla and Saint Marks rivers which come together here on Oct. 10, 2018, in Saint Marks, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Bo Lynn's Market starts taking water in the town of Saint Marks as Hurricane Michael pushes the storm surge up the Wakulla and Saint Marks rivers which come together here on Oct. 10, 2018, in Saint Marks, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Peggy Spell, Jacob Spell and Eddie Spell (L-R) sit in the lobby of the Hilton Garden Inn after leaving their home for a safer place as the outer bands of Hurricane Michael arrive on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Storm surge and waves from Hurricane Michael batter beachfront homes on Oct. 10, 2018, in the Florida Panhandle community of Shell Point Beach. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.People arrive at a special needs shelter at a high school as Hurricane Michael approaches on Oct. 10, 2018, in Tallahassee, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Kevin Futch, an employee at the Aloft Hotel, tosses furniture into the pool at daybreak as Hurricane Michael approaches on Oct. 10, 2018, in Tallahassee, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.People try to get some rest at Lincoln High School as Hurricane Michael approaches on Oct. 10, 2018, in Tallahassee, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Emergency crews representing close to 100 various agencies work in the Florida Emergency Center on Oct. 10, 2018, in Tallahassee, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Storm surge and waves from Hurricane Michael batter beachfront homes on Oct. 10, 2018, in the Florida Panhandle community of Shell Point Beach. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Power crews from Decatur, Alabama, head into Tallahassee, Florida, as Hurricane Michael approaches on Oct. 10, 2018. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Storm surge and waves from Hurricane Michael batter beachfront homes on Oct. 10, 2018, in the Florida Panhandle community of Shell Point Beach. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Cameron Sadowski walks along where waves are crashing onto the beach as the outer bands of Hurricane Michael arrive on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City Beach, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.Destin resident gets a quick swim in as Hurricane Michael slams into the Florida panhandle.Surf rising in Pensacola Beach ahead of Hurricane MichaelKathy Eaton takes what she can from her home as she evacuates ahead of Hurricane Michael on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City Beach, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.James Langston (R) helps Ed Kelly evacuate his home as he evacuates ahead of Hurricane Michael on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City Beach, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle at a possible Category 4 storm.More than 30 shelters had opened by Tuesday as Florida Panhandle residents fled in advance of Hurricane Michael.Wednesday morning view of Cat 4 Hurricane Michael with vis imagery from NOAA's GOES-16.Flooding along Shalimar Drive in Okaloosa County, Florida, on Wednesday morning.Employees at the Old Port Cove restaurant in Ozello, Florida, lay sandbags Tuesday. They were hoping to protect the restaurant ahead of Hurricane Michael.Waves crash along a pier as the outerbands of Hurricane Michael arrive on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City Beach, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle as a possible Category 4 storm.Cars drive along a bridge as the outerbands of Hurricane Michael arrive on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle as a possible Category 4 storm.Waves crash along a pier as the outerbands of Hurricane Michael arrive on Oct. 10, 2018, in Panama City Beach, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle as a possible Category 4 storm.Al Smith puts plywood over a window as he prepares a building for the arrival of Hurricane Michael on Oct. 9, 2018, in Port St. Joe, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle as a possible Category 4 storm.Carol Cathey spraypaints the words "Calm down Michael" on the plywood over her daughter's business in preparation for the arrival of Hurricane Michael on Oct. 9, 2018, in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane is forecast to hit the Florida Panhandle as a possible Category 4 storm.
Tom Bailey walks his bike past a home that was carried across a road and slammed up against a condo complex as Hurricane Michael passed through the area on October 11, 2018 in Mexico Beach, Florida. The hurricane hit the panhandle area with category 4 winds causing major damage.
Here's the latest on the aftermath of Hurricane Michael (all times local):
7:25 p.m.
The first debate between the two candidates running for Florida governor is going to be cancelled due to Hurricane Michael.
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum announced Saturday on Facebook that he cannot get back out on the campaign trail until at least next Wednesday due to damage caused by the storm.
The Democratic nominee for governor was scheduled to debate Republican Ron DeSantis Tuesday in Orlando. Gillum said that he could not leave town if thousands of residents were still without power.
More than 110,000 customers of the Tallahassee-owned electric company lost power as a result of Hurricane Michael's high winds that brought down hundreds of trees across the city. There were about 30,000 city customers still without power Saturday night.
There are two other debates scheduled.
7:25 p.m.
North Carolina's top Republican legislative leaders say they're prepared to approve nearly $800 million for Hurricane Florence recovery when the General Assembly reconvenes Monday.
House Speaker Tim Moore and Senate leader Phil Berger on Saturday announced support to appropriate $794 million. Most would come from the state's rainy-day reserves.
This past week, Democratic Gov. Roy Cooper unveiled a detailed $1.5 billion relief request, for which he sought $750 million immediately. Moore and Berger's offices said in a news release they'll give Cooper and state agencies maximum spending flexibility while damage assessments continue.
Cooper's plan focused on helping farmers and businesses and repairing homes, roads, schools and other government buildings. Republicans say they'll also back Cooper's request for a new hurricane recovery office.
The legislature approved an initial recovery bill Oct. 2.
6:30 p.m.
Authorities in Virginia say a rescue team has recovered the remains of a woman who had been missing since she was swept away in flash flooding during Tropical Storm Michael.
Virginia State Police said in a news release Saturday evening that a volunteer K-9 rescue team found 62-year-old Ruby S. Allen's body earlier in the day.
The state Department of Emergency Management says the discovery brings the total of storm-related deaths in Virginia to six.
Four others, including Allen's son, died in flooding, and a firefighter was killed when a tractor-trailer struck a fire engine.
Authorities had previously said Allen, of Eureka, was presumed dead. She, her son and grandson were in a car when it became stranded on a bridge.
State police say Allen and 36-year-old Ronnie Allen were swept away. Ronnie Allen's 17-year-old son was rescued.
6:30 p.m.
Duke Energy says 10,000 people are working to restore power to about 175,000 customers across the Carolinas in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Michael.
The company said in a news release Saturday that power had been restored to more than 900,000 customers in the two states over the 48 hours since the storm passed through.
Duke says Guilford, Rockingham, Alamance and Caswell counties in North Carolina were among the hardest hit.
Crews from other states are assisting Carolinas-based line workers.
An online outage map shows reported outages and estimated restoration times.
5:15 p.m.
Gov. Rick Scott says about 1,700 total search and rescue personnel are in Florida and so far have checked 25,000 homes statewide.
Scott spoke with reporters Saturday after meeting with emergency responders in the Panama City area. He says the state is working to help distribute food and water to affected residents.
In the meantime, more than 17,000 utility workers are busy restoring power to 245,000 Florida homes and businesses still without electricity.
The governor said he understands that many suffering after Michael are tense. He says he feels sorry for people who have lost their homes and do not have much savings.
He said, "Everybody just needs to help each other right now."
The tally of lives lost across the South stands at 14, including one person found in the rubble of Mexico Beach, where about 1,000 people live.
4:35 p.m.
The main Florida utility that serves most of the Panhandle is warning that some people may be without power for weeks due to Hurricane Michael.
Gulf Power officials said Saturday that some areas of Bay County on Florida's coast could get their power restored in the next two days.
The company said that it may take six days to restore electricity to three counties near the Georgia border.
Gulf Power officials, however, did not yet have estimates on how long it will take to restore power for downtown Panama City and other towns on the coast.
More than 253,000 customers remain without power in the Panhandle. Thousands of utility linemen have been brought to help with the recovery effort.
4:35 p.m.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott is calling up 500 more members of the state's national guard as the state mounts a massive recovery effort in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael.
Scott has now called up 4,000 members of the Florida National Guard to deal with the deadly storm.
The National Guard is in addition to nearly 2,000 law-enforcement officials that have also been brought into the Panhandle.
The guard members have been helping out with search and rescue efforts but are also being used to distribute supplies in 11 counties.
Florida plans on distributing more than three million meals and two million gallons of water. Volunteer organizations are also setting up mobile kitchens across the region and plan to distribute 10,000 meals alone in the Panama City region.
3:55 p.m.
Rescuers are intensifying efforts to find survivors who might be trapped amid the ruins of a small Florida Panhandle community nearly obliterated by Hurricane Michael.
Crews with dogs went door-to-door in Mexico Beach on Saturday and pushed aside debris to get inside badly damage structures in a second wave of searches after an initial, hasty search.
Authorities say there is little doubt the death toll will rise from the storm, which made landfall Wednesday as a Category 4 hurricane with 155 mph winds (249 kph) and heavy storm surge.
The tally of lives lost across the South stood at 14, including one person found in the rubble of Mexico Beach, where about 1,000 people live.
11 a.m.
Power and cellphone service are starting to be restored in parts of Florida's storm-battered Panhandle.
State emergency management officials reported Saturday that nearly 264,000 customers remain without electricity in the state.
They also said that 80 percent of cellphone service has been restored throughout the region hit by Hurricane Michael. But the numbers remain high in the hardest-hit areas.
Bay County, which is where Panama City is located, only has 30 percent cellphone coverage. Nearly 100,000 customers in that coastal county also remain without power. Smaller coastal counties south of Panama City and rural north Florida counties also remain in the dark.
Lights have been coming back on in Tallahassee. More than 100,000 city utility customers lost power right after the storm, but as of Saturday there were about 40,000 who remained without electricity.
9 a.m.
The White House has issued an emergency declaration for the state of Alabama in the wake of Hurricane Michael.
President Donald Trump on Friday declared that an emergency exists in Alabama and ordered federal assistance to supplement state, tribal, and local response efforts due to the emergency conditions resulting from the hurricane starting Oct. 10 and continuing.
Under the declaration, FEMA is authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Emergency protective measures, including direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent federal funding in Dale, Geneva, Henry, and Houston counties.
Emergency protective measures, limited to direct federal assistance, will be provided at 75 percent funding in Baldwin, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Escambia, Mobile, Montgomery, Pike, and Russell counties and the Poarch Creek Band of Indians.
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10 p.m. Friday
The Internal Revenue Service says victims of Hurricane Michael will get a grace period before having to file some tax returns and payments.
The IRS said Friday it's offering the relief in parts of Florida and other regions that may be added later to the disaster area as designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Individuals who had a valid extension to Oct. 15 for filing their 2017 return now will have until Feb. 28, 2019, to file. Because tax payments related to the 2017 returns were due on April 18, however, those payments don't qualify for relief.
The new Feb. 28 deadline also applies to quarterly estimated income-tax payments normally due on Jan. 15, 2019, and to quarterly payroll and excise tax returns due on Oct. 31, 2018 and Jan. 31, 2019. The IRS says it will automatically provide relief for people with addresses in the counties designated a disaster area.
Taxpayers who qualify for relief but live outside the disaster area can call the IRS at 866-562-5227.
Watch drone video below showing the extensive damage in Mexico Beach, Florida:
WATCH LIVE: Drone video above Mexico Beach in the Florida Panhandle where Hurricane Michael left many homes damaged and destroyed. Read more: https://bit.ly/2pQQB13
