Hurricane Michael — the fourth Category 4 storm to pummel the United States in 14 months — snapped pine trees like toothpicks, washed neighborhoods into the sea, and shredded the hangars off an Air Force base.
Before the storm’s 155 mph winds struck the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10, storm scientists predicted Michael would be an extremely intense storm, in large part because it passed through ocean waters that were 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit above normal — and hurricanes thrive on warm water.
The devastation, seen by satellites orbiting hundreds of miles above, is ghastly.
A one-mile swath of Mexico City is now a wasteland, wrecked by surges of sea water that Hurricane Michael propelled into the coast.
Other neighborhoods were ravaged by the storm’s wind. The eyewall of Hurricane Michael — where the strongest winds churn — passed directly through Panama City.
Panama City’s Ivory Road Estate’s neighborhood before the hurricane.
Panama City’s Ivory Road Estate’s neighborhood post-hurricane.
Tyndall Air Force Base, located about 12 miles east of Panama City, also took a beating.
Fortunately, base commander Colonel Brian Laidlaw evacuated Tyndall two days before Michael struck.
The storm did major damage to the base. A retired display firefighter jet was thrown on its back and the roofing ripped off airplane hangers.
Tyndall Air Force Base main gate before the storm.
Tyndall Air Force Base main gate after the storm.
Following the storm, Colonel Laidlaw, while being thankful no lives were lost, acknowledged that “our base took a beating.”
“Our area has never seen a storm like this one,” Laidlaw added.
Tyndall hangars pre-hurricane.
Tyndall hangars post-hurricane.
The surrounding forests took a pummeling, too. Some were bent over and twisted. But most to snapped in the wind.
This is a rather remarkable look from above at the massive extent of treefall/defoliation associated with the catastrophic winds associated with the core of Michael as it moved northeast. pic.twitter.com/kVFy4YCCC3
— Taylor Trogdon (@TTrogdon) October 11, 2018
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