begin quote from:Residents growing desperate for food and water in Michael's wake
Survivors scramble for food and water in the wake of Hurricane Michael
Were you affected by Hurricane Michael? Text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN when it's safe: 347-322-0415
(CNN)Three days after Hurricane Michael unleashed its wrath on the Florida Panhandle, responders are still searching rubble for people trapped or dead, and residents in some of the hardest-hit areas are growing desperate for food and water.
Long lines have formed outside fire stations, schools and Salvation Army food trucks as people try to secure anything, from bottled water to ready-to-eat and hot meals.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott tweeted Saturday that millions of meals and gallons of water are on the way to the affected communities.
People line up Friday outside a Panama City convenience store in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael.
The death toll from Michael has risen to at least 17, and nearly 900,000 customers remain without power in seven states. The storm that smacked the Panhandle was one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the United States, leaving a trail of destruction stretching as far as Virginia.
The number of people missing in Florida is unclear. In Panama City alone, the fire department has received more than 200 calls asking it to check on people there, but the department hasn't had the resources to do so for all of them, Panama City Fire Chief Alex Baird said.
In the virtually leveled oceanside town of Mexico Beach, search-and-rescue crews made two passes through the rubble and intended to continue searching Saturday.
About 280 of the town's 1,200 residents had indicated they intended to ride out the storm, but several of those likely fled at the last minute when the approaching storm's devastating strength became clear, Mayor Al Cathey said. At least one person -- an elderly man -- has been found dead there, and it's unclear how many are missing.
Cathey said he's been told it could take two months to restore power.
"Seventy-five percent of our city is not here (destroyed)," he said. "There's not one local business that's operational."
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A helicopter circles a Panama City neighborhood in the storm's wake on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A woman and her children wait near a destroyed gas station in Panama City on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A McDonald's sign is mangled in Panama City on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Boats are left damaged in a Panama City marina on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
People comfort each other outside an apartment building in Panama City.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
People make their way through a building's wreckage in Panama City on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
The powerful hurricane left houses battered in Panama City Beach.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Phlomena Telker stands on the remains of her covered porch in Panama City.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Boats are damaged at the Port St. Joe Marina in the Florida Panhandle.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Lenora Adams evacuates a motel with her dog as the hurricane comes ashore in Panacea, Florida, on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Rick Tesk, left, helps a business owner rescue his dogs from a damaged business in Panama City.
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Wrecked boats sit near a pier in Panama City.
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A resident of St. Marks, Florida, pulls a cooler out of the floodwaters near his home.
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Pine trees litter a yard in Port St. Joe.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Streets begin to flood as high tide approaches in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 10.
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Mike Lindsey stands in his Panama City antique shop after it was damaged by Hurricane Michael on October 10.
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Trees lie on top of a home in Panama City.
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Bo Lynn's Market is flooded in St. Marks on October 10.
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A truck drives along a road in Alligator Point, Florida, that had been washed out by the storm on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Waves hit a house in Alligator Point on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
The eye of the storm, as seen from the International Space Station on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A woman checks on her vehicle after a hotel canopy collapsed in Panama City Beach.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Mitchell Pope tries to salvage what he can from his mobile home in St. Marks.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
This boat ran aground at Florida's Quietwater Beach.
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Jayden Morgan, 11, evacuates his home as water starts to flood his neighborhood in St. Marks.
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A person takes pictures of the surf and fishing pier on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
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Emily Hindle lies on the floor at an evacuation shelter set up at a Panama City Beach high school on October 10.
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Kathy Eaton takes what she can from her Panama City Beach home as she tries to get out of the way of the storm on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Justin Davis, left, and Brock Mclean board up a business in Destin, Florida, on Tuesday, October 9.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Krystal Day, left, leads a sandbag assembly line at the Old Port Cove restaurant in Ozello, Florida, on October 9.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Workers scramble to store boats at Shields Marina in St. Marks.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Residents make their way across a washed-out road on Friday, October 12, in Mexico Beach, Florida, a resort town that's been ground zero of the catastrophic hurricane's destruction.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
An aerial view shows the devastation in Mexico Beach on October 12. The small beach resort saw the brunt of Michael, authorities say.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Dough Shelby looks out at the destruction from his house in Mexico Beach on October 12.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Little remains of a burned home destroyed by the hurricane in Mexico Beach on October 12.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Benny Hobson sits in his recliner on Thursday, October 11, after losing the front wall of his house in Panama City, Florida.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Storm-damaged boats are piled up in Panama City on October 11.
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Elizabeth Hanson, right, and her daughter Emaly hug their neighbor Cindy Clark on October 11. The hurricane heavily damaged their homes in Mexico Beach.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Collector cars are covered in debris in Panama City on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Tom Bailey on October 11 walks his bike past a home that was carried across a road and slammed up against a condo complex in Mexico Beach.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Joyce Fox stands in front of her heavily damaged home in Panama City on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A boat sits amid debris in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Kylie Strampe holds her 4-month-old daughter, Lola, while surveying the damage in Callaway, Florida, on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Trees snapped by Michael's winds are seen in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Amanda Logsdon faces a heavy cleanup task at her Panama City house on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Rescue personnel search Mexico Beach.
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A man walks through a damaged store in Springfield, Florida.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
An aerial photo shows a destroyed boat in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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A tree sits on top of a Panama City mobile home. Almost all the residents of the mobile-home park rode out the storm. All homes were damaged except one.
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Kathy Coy stands among what is left of her home in Panama City. She said she was in the home when it was blown apart and is thankful to be alive.
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The view from a Panama City hotel room that lost a wall in the storm.
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Firefighter Austin Schlarb performs a door-to-door search in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Damaged buildings are seen in Panama City on October 11.
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Debris is scattered in Mexico Beach early on October 11.
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Wreckage is piled up in Mexico Beach, near where Michael made landfall.
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Debris burns in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Haley Nelson inspects damage at her family properties in the Panama City area on Wednesday, October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Cars are tossed among the debris in Mexico Beach.
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Kaylee O'Brian cries inside her Panama City home after several trees fell on it on October 10.
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Floodwaters overwhelm vehicles in Panama City on Wednesday, October 10.
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A storm chaser climbs into his vehicle to retrieve equipment after a hotel canopy collapsed in Panama City Beach on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A helicopter circles a Panama City neighborhood in the storm's wake on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A woman and her children wait near a destroyed gas station in Panama City on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A McDonald's sign is mangled in Panama City on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Boats are left damaged in a Panama City marina on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
People comfort each other outside an apartment building in Panama City.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
People make their way through a building's wreckage in Panama City on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
The powerful hurricane left houses battered in Panama City Beach.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Phlomena Telker stands on the remains of her covered porch in Panama City.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Boats are damaged at the Port St. Joe Marina in the Florida Panhandle.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Lenora Adams evacuates a motel with her dog as the hurricane comes ashore in Panacea, Florida, on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Rick Tesk, left, helps a business owner rescue his dogs from a damaged business in Panama City.
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Wrecked boats sit near a pier in Panama City.
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A resident of St. Marks, Florida, pulls a cooler out of the floodwaters near his home.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Pine trees litter a yard in Port St. Joe.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Streets begin to flood as high tide approaches in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Mike Lindsey stands in his Panama City antique shop after it was damaged by Hurricane Michael on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Trees lie on top of a home in Panama City.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Bo Lynn's Market is flooded in St. Marks on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A truck drives along a road in Alligator Point, Florida, that had been washed out by the storm on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Waves hit a house in Alligator Point on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
The eye of the storm, as seen from the International Space Station on October 10.
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A woman checks on her vehicle after a hotel canopy collapsed in Panama City Beach.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Mitchell Pope tries to salvage what he can from his mobile home in St. Marks.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
This boat ran aground at Florida's Quietwater Beach.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Jayden Morgan, 11, evacuates his home as water starts to flood his neighborhood in St. Marks.
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A person takes pictures of the surf and fishing pier on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
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Emily Hindle lies on the floor at an evacuation shelter set up at a Panama City Beach high school on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Kathy Eaton takes what she can from her Panama City Beach home as she tries to get out of the way of the storm on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Justin Davis, left, and Brock Mclean board up a business in Destin, Florida, on Tuesday, October 9.
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Krystal Day, left, leads a sandbag assembly line at the Old Port Cove restaurant in Ozello, Florida, on October 9.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Workers scramble to store boats at Shields Marina in St. Marks.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Residents make their way across a washed-out road on Friday, October 12, in Mexico Beach, Florida, a resort town that's been ground zero of the catastrophic hurricane's destruction.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
An aerial view shows the devastation in Mexico Beach on October 12. The small beach resort saw the brunt of Michael, authorities say.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Dough Shelby looks out at the destruction from his house in Mexico Beach on October 12.
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Little remains of a burned home destroyed by the hurricane in Mexico Beach on October 12.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Benny Hobson sits in his recliner on Thursday, October 11, after losing the front wall of his house in Panama City, Florida.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Storm-damaged boats are piled up in Panama City on October 11.
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Elizabeth Hanson, right, and her daughter Emaly hug their neighbor Cindy Clark on October 11. The hurricane heavily damaged their homes in Mexico Beach.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Collector cars are covered in debris in Panama City on October 11.
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Tom Bailey on October 11 walks his bike past a home that was carried across a road and slammed up against a condo complex in Mexico Beach.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Joyce Fox stands in front of her heavily damaged home in Panama City on October 11.
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A boat sits amid debris in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Kylie Strampe holds her 4-month-old daughter, Lola, while surveying the damage in Callaway, Florida, on October 11.
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Trees snapped by Michael's winds are seen in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Amanda Logsdon faces a heavy cleanup task at her Panama City house on October 11.
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Rescue personnel search Mexico Beach.
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A man walks through a damaged store in Springfield, Florida.
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An aerial photo shows a destroyed boat in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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A tree sits on top of a Panama City mobile home. Almost all the residents of the mobile-home park rode out the storm. All homes were damaged except one.
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Kathy Coy stands among what is left of her home in Panama City. She said she was in the home when it was blown apart and is thankful to be alive.
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The view from a Panama City hotel room that lost a wall in the storm.
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Firefighter Austin Schlarb performs a door-to-door search in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Damaged buildings are seen in Panama City on October 11.
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Debris is scattered in Mexico Beach early on October 11.
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Wreckage is piled up in Mexico Beach, near where Michael made landfall.
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Debris burns in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Haley Nelson inspects damage at her family properties in the Panama City area on Wednesday, October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Cars are tossed among the debris in Mexico Beach.
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Kaylee O'Brian cries inside her Panama City home after several trees fell on it on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Floodwaters overwhelm vehicles in Panama City on Wednesday, October 10.
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A storm chaser climbs into his vehicle to retrieve equipment after a hotel canopy collapsed in Panama City Beach on October 10.
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A helicopter circles a Panama City neighborhood in the storm's wake on October 10.
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Were you affected by Hurricane Michael? Text, iMessage or WhatsApp your videos, photos and stories to CNN when it's safe: 347-322-0415
(CNN)Three days after Hurricane Michael unleashed its wrath on the Florida Panhandle, responders are still searching rubble for people trapped or dead, and residents in some of the hardest-hit areas are growing desperate for food and water.
Long lines have formed outside fire stations, schools and Salvation Army food trucks as people try to secure anything, from bottled water to ready-to-eat and hot meals.
Florida Gov. Rick Scott tweeted Saturday that millions of meals and gallons of water are on the way to the affected communities.
People line up Friday outside a Panama City convenience store in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael.
The death toll from Michael has risen to at least 17, and nearly 900,000 customers remain without power in seven states. The storm that smacked the Panhandle was one of the most powerful hurricanes to hit the United States, leaving a trail of destruction stretching as far as Virginia.
The number of people missing in Florida is unclear. In Panama City alone, the fire department has received more than 200 calls asking it to check on people there, but the department hasn't had the resources to do so for all of them, Panama City Fire Chief Alex Baird said.
In the virtually leveled oceanside town of Mexico Beach, search-and-rescue crews made two passes through the rubble and intended to continue searching Saturday.
About 280 of the town's 1,200 residents had indicated they intended to ride out the storm, but several of those likely fled at the last minute when the approaching storm's devastating strength became clear, Mayor Al Cathey said. At least one person -- an elderly man -- has been found dead there, and it's unclear how many are missing.
Cathey said he's been told it could take two months to restore power.
"Seventy-five percent of our city is not here (destroyed)," he said. "There's not one local business that's operational."
Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A helicopter circles a Panama City neighborhood in the storm's wake on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A woman and her children wait near a destroyed gas station in Panama City on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A McDonald's sign is mangled in Panama City on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Boats are left damaged in a Panama City marina on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
People comfort each other outside an apartment building in Panama City.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
People make their way through a building's wreckage in Panama City on October 10.
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The powerful hurricane left houses battered in Panama City Beach.
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Phlomena Telker stands on the remains of her covered porch in Panama City.
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Boats are damaged at the Port St. Joe Marina in the Florida Panhandle.
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Lenora Adams evacuates a motel with her dog as the hurricane comes ashore in Panacea, Florida, on October 10.
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Rick Tesk, left, helps a business owner rescue his dogs from a damaged business in Panama City.
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Wrecked boats sit near a pier in Panama City.
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A resident of St. Marks, Florida, pulls a cooler out of the floodwaters near his home.
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Pine trees litter a yard in Port St. Joe.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Streets begin to flood as high tide approaches in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Mike Lindsey stands in his Panama City antique shop after it was damaged by Hurricane Michael on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Trees lie on top of a home in Panama City.
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Bo Lynn's Market is flooded in St. Marks on October 10.
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A truck drives along a road in Alligator Point, Florida, that had been washed out by the storm on October 10.
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Waves hit a house in Alligator Point on October 10.
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The eye of the storm, as seen from the International Space Station on October 10.
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A woman checks on her vehicle after a hotel canopy collapsed in Panama City Beach.
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Mitchell Pope tries to salvage what he can from his mobile home in St. Marks.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
This boat ran aground at Florida's Quietwater Beach.
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Jayden Morgan, 11, evacuates his home as water starts to flood his neighborhood in St. Marks.
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A person takes pictures of the surf and fishing pier on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
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Emily Hindle lies on the floor at an evacuation shelter set up at a Panama City Beach high school on October 10.
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Kathy Eaton takes what she can from her Panama City Beach home as she tries to get out of the way of the storm on October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Justin Davis, left, and Brock Mclean board up a business in Destin, Florida, on Tuesday, October 9.
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Krystal Day, left, leads a sandbag assembly line at the Old Port Cove restaurant in Ozello, Florida, on October 9.
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Workers scramble to store boats at Shields Marina in St. Marks.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Residents make their way across a washed-out road on Friday, October 12, in Mexico Beach, Florida, a resort town that's been ground zero of the catastrophic hurricane's destruction.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
An aerial view shows the devastation in Mexico Beach on October 12. The small beach resort saw the brunt of Michael, authorities say.
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Dough Shelby looks out at the destruction from his house in Mexico Beach on October 12.
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Little remains of a burned home destroyed by the hurricane in Mexico Beach on October 12.
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Benny Hobson sits in his recliner on Thursday, October 11, after losing the front wall of his house in Panama City, Florida.
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Storm-damaged boats are piled up in Panama City on October 11.
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Elizabeth Hanson, right, and her daughter Emaly hug their neighbor Cindy Clark on October 11. The hurricane heavily damaged their homes in Mexico Beach.
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Collector cars are covered in debris in Panama City on October 11.
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Tom Bailey on October 11 walks his bike past a home that was carried across a road and slammed up against a condo complex in Mexico Beach.
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Joyce Fox stands in front of her heavily damaged home in Panama City on October 11.
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A boat sits amid debris in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Kylie Strampe holds her 4-month-old daughter, Lola, while surveying the damage in Callaway, Florida, on October 11.
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Trees snapped by Michael's winds are seen in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Amanda Logsdon faces a heavy cleanup task at her Panama City house on October 11.
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Rescue personnel search Mexico Beach.
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A man walks through a damaged store in Springfield, Florida.
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An aerial photo shows a destroyed boat in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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A tree sits on top of a Panama City mobile home. Almost all the residents of the mobile-home park rode out the storm. All homes were damaged except one.
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Kathy Coy stands among what is left of her home in Panama City. She said she was in the home when it was blown apart and is thankful to be alive.
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The view from a Panama City hotel room that lost a wall in the storm.
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Firefighter Austin Schlarb performs a door-to-door search in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Damaged buildings are seen in Panama City on October 11.
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Debris is scattered in Mexico Beach early on October 11.
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Wreckage is piled up in Mexico Beach, near where Michael made landfall.
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Debris burns in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Haley Nelson inspects damage at her family properties in the Panama City area on Wednesday, October 10.
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Cars are tossed among the debris in Mexico Beach.
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Kaylee O'Brian cries inside her Panama City home after several trees fell on it on October 10.
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Floodwaters overwhelm vehicles in Panama City on Wednesday, October 10.
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A storm chaser climbs into his vehicle to retrieve equipment after a hotel canopy collapsed in Panama City Beach on October 10.
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A helicopter circles a Panama City neighborhood in the storm's wake on October 10.
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A woman and her children wait near a destroyed gas station in Panama City on October 10.
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A McDonald's sign is mangled in Panama City on October 10.
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Boats are left damaged in a Panama City marina on October 10.
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People comfort each other outside an apartment building in Panama City.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
People make their way through a building's wreckage in Panama City on October 10.
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The powerful hurricane left houses battered in Panama City Beach.
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Phlomena Telker stands on the remains of her covered porch in Panama City.
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Boats are damaged at the Port St. Joe Marina in the Florida Panhandle.
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Lenora Adams evacuates a motel with her dog as the hurricane comes ashore in Panacea, Florida, on October 10.
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Rick Tesk, left, helps a business owner rescue his dogs from a damaged business in Panama City.
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Wrecked boats sit near a pier in Panama City.
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A resident of St. Marks, Florida, pulls a cooler out of the floodwaters near his home.
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Pine trees litter a yard in Port St. Joe.
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Streets begin to flood as high tide approaches in St. Petersburg, Florida, on October 10.
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Mike Lindsey stands in his Panama City antique shop after it was damaged by Hurricane Michael on October 10.
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Trees lie on top of a home in Panama City.
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Bo Lynn's Market is flooded in St. Marks on October 10.
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A truck drives along a road in Alligator Point, Florida, that had been washed out by the storm on October 10.
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Waves hit a house in Alligator Point on October 10.
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The eye of the storm, as seen from the International Space Station on October 10.
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A woman checks on her vehicle after a hotel canopy collapsed in Panama City Beach.
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Mitchell Pope tries to salvage what he can from his mobile home in St. Marks.
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This boat ran aground at Florida's Quietwater Beach.
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Jayden Morgan, 11, evacuates his home as water starts to flood his neighborhood in St. Marks.
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A person takes pictures of the surf and fishing pier on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.
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Emily Hindle lies on the floor at an evacuation shelter set up at a Panama City Beach high school on October 10.
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Kathy Eaton takes what she can from her Panama City Beach home as she tries to get out of the way of the storm on October 10.
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Justin Davis, left, and Brock Mclean board up a business in Destin, Florida, on Tuesday, October 9.
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Krystal Day, left, leads a sandbag assembly line at the Old Port Cove restaurant in Ozello, Florida, on October 9.
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Workers scramble to store boats at Shields Marina in St. Marks.
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Residents make their way across a washed-out road on Friday, October 12, in Mexico Beach, Florida, a resort town that's been ground zero of the catastrophic hurricane's destruction.
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An aerial view shows the devastation in Mexico Beach on October 12. The small beach resort saw the brunt of Michael, authorities say.
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Dough Shelby looks out at the destruction from his house in Mexico Beach on October 12.
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Little remains of a burned home destroyed by the hurricane in Mexico Beach on October 12.
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Benny Hobson sits in his recliner on Thursday, October 11, after losing the front wall of his house in Panama City, Florida.
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Storm-damaged boats are piled up in Panama City on October 11.
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Elizabeth Hanson, right, and her daughter Emaly hug their neighbor Cindy Clark on October 11. The hurricane heavily damaged their homes in Mexico Beach.
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Collector cars are covered in debris in Panama City on October 11.
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Tom Bailey on October 11 walks his bike past a home that was carried across a road and slammed up against a condo complex in Mexico Beach.
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Joyce Fox stands in front of her heavily damaged home in Panama City on October 11.
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A boat sits amid debris in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Kylie Strampe holds her 4-month-old daughter, Lola, while surveying the damage in Callaway, Florida, on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Trees snapped by Michael's winds are seen in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Amanda Logsdon faces a heavy cleanup task at her Panama City house on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Rescue personnel search Mexico Beach.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A man walks through a damaged store in Springfield, Florida.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
An aerial photo shows a destroyed boat in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
A tree sits on top of a Panama City mobile home. Almost all the residents of the mobile-home park rode out the storm. All homes were damaged except one.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Kathy Coy stands among what is left of her home in Panama City. She said she was in the home when it was blown apart and is thankful to be alive.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
The view from a Panama City hotel room that lost a wall in the storm.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Firefighter Austin Schlarb performs a door-to-door search in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Damaged buildings are seen in Panama City on October 11.
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Debris is scattered in Mexico Beach early on October 11.
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Wreckage is piled up in Mexico Beach, near where Michael made landfall.
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Debris burns in Mexico Beach on October 11.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Haley Nelson inspects damage at her family properties in the Panama City area on Wednesday, October 10.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Cars are tossed among the debris in Mexico Beach.
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Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction
Kaylee O'Brian cries inside her Panama City home after several trees fell on it on October 10.
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Floodwaters overwhelm vehicles in Panama City on Wednesday, October 10.
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A storm chaser climbs into his vehicle to retrieve equipment after a hotel canopy collapsed in Panama City Beach on October 10.
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A helicopter circles a Panama City neighborhood in the storm's wake on October 10.
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Wife watched her husband die
Sitting in a red pickup just steps away from her damaged home, Gayle Sweet recalled the last moments she shared with her husband.
"I told him, 'Hold on, just hold on, I'm calling for help now,' " she told CNN affiliate WFTS on Thursday, sobbing.
Her husband, Steven, was killed when an oak tree smashed their home in Gretna, Florida, and landed on top of him. The 44-year-old was among at least 17 who have died since Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday.
Hours after the storm left her home in ruins, Gayle Sweet refused to leave. Her husband's body was still trapped in the rubble.
"Hopefully they (emergency crews) will be here soon. I'm not going anywhere until they bring him out," she said.
Here's what we know so far about some of the 17 and counting who did not survive Hurricane Michael https://cnn.it/2OoxkTg
At least eight people, including Sweet, have died in Florida. An 11-year-old girl died in Georgia when a carport came crashing through the roof. Two out of the three people who were killed in North Carolina died when their vehicle struck a tree that had fallen because of high winds, said Adrienne Jones, deputy director for the McDowell County Emergency Medical Services.
Five people died in Virginia. Four drowned, and the fifth, a firefighter, was killed when a tractor-trailer lost control and hit his truck on a wet highway in Hanover County.
In Georgia, officials are receiving reports that 84 chicken houses -- estimated to hold more than 2 million chickens -- were destroyed in the storm, which also caused severe damage to pecan, cotton, vegetable and peanut crops.
"For me, the cotton crop is as bad as it gets. I was picking three bale cotton (this week); today it is gone," cotton farmer and state Rep. Clay Pirkle said. "Can't tell the difference between what I've picked and what I haven't."
Mexico Beach, Florida, bore the brunt of the storm's wrath, authorities say.
Sitting in a red pickup just steps away from her damaged home, Gayle Sweet recalled the last moments she shared with her husband.
"I told him, 'Hold on, just hold on, I'm calling for help now,' " she told CNN affiliate WFTS on Thursday, sobbing.
Her husband, Steven, was killed when an oak tree smashed their home in Gretna, Florida, and landed on top of him. The 44-year-old was among at least 17 who have died since Hurricane Michael made landfall Wednesday.
Hours after the storm left her home in ruins, Gayle Sweet refused to leave. Her husband's body was still trapped in the rubble.
"Hopefully they (emergency crews) will be here soon. I'm not going anywhere until they bring him out," she said.
Here's what we know so far about some of the 17 and counting who did not survive Hurricane Michael https://cnn.it/2OoxkTg
At least eight people, including Sweet, have died in Florida. An 11-year-old girl died in Georgia when a carport came crashing through the roof. Two out of the three people who were killed in North Carolina died when their vehicle struck a tree that had fallen because of high winds, said Adrienne Jones, deputy director for the McDowell County Emergency Medical Services.
Five people died in Virginia. Four drowned, and the fifth, a firefighter, was killed when a tractor-trailer lost control and hit his truck on a wet highway in Hanover County.
In Georgia, officials are receiving reports that 84 chicken houses -- estimated to hold more than 2 million chickens -- were destroyed in the storm, which also caused severe damage to pecan, cotton, vegetable and peanut crops.
"For me, the cotton crop is as bad as it gets. I was picking three bale cotton (this week); today it is gone," cotton farmer and state Rep. Clay Pirkle said. "Can't tell the difference between what I've picked and what I haven't."
Mexico Beach, Florida, bore the brunt of the storm's wrath, authorities say.
Hospitals evacuated but operating
After evacuating hundreds of patients, hospitals heavily damaged during Michael are still finding ways to help those in need.
The front door of Bay Medical Sacred Heart in Panama City was boarded up Friday, and water service hadn't been restored, but a handmade sign directed patients to the emergency room, which remains operational.
The hurricane-force winds were so powerful that they lifted the roof on the hospital's tower, where most of the patients were, and water poured into the facility. About 1,500 people, including doctors, nurses and patients, rode out the storm.
"It was a very scary few hours of howling winds, windows blowing in, crashing roofs, ceilings collapsing, but patients being cared for throughout all of it," said Amir Haghighat, a cardiologist with the Cardiovascular Institute of Northwest Florida who works at Bay Medical.
Mexico Beach, Florida
NOAA
Hundreds of patients were taken Friday to hospitals across Florida and as far away as Mobile, Alabama, in a parade of ambulances and medical helicopters. The Panama City hospital is staying open receiving patients in an emergency room running on generator power.
After evacuating hundreds of patients, hospitals heavily damaged during Michael are still finding ways to help those in need.
The front door of Bay Medical Sacred Heart in Panama City was boarded up Friday, and water service hadn't been restored, but a handmade sign directed patients to the emergency room, which remains operational.
The hurricane-force winds were so powerful that they lifted the roof on the hospital's tower, where most of the patients were, and water poured into the facility. About 1,500 people, including doctors, nurses and patients, rode out the storm.
"It was a very scary few hours of howling winds, windows blowing in, crashing roofs, ceilings collapsing, but patients being cared for throughout all of it," said Amir Haghighat, a cardiologist with the Cardiovascular Institute of Northwest Florida who works at Bay Medical.
Mexico Beach, Florida
NOAA
Hundreds of patients were taken Friday to hospitals across Florida and as far away as Mobile, Alabama, in a parade of ambulances and medical helicopters. The Panama City hospital is staying open receiving patients in an emergency room running on generator power.
Newsrooms still running
In the wake of Hurricane Michael, local journalists in the Florida Panhandle are working in incredibly difficult conditions.
Panama City's two biggest TV stations, ABC affiliate WMBB and NBC affiliate WJHG, have been off the air for days. During Wednesday's broadcast, one of the last things viewers heard was a reporter saying, "It sounds like a train is coming over the roof of the TV station. The whole building is shaking."
WMBB general manager Terry Cole said his staff worked and slept at a next-door church Wednesday into Thursday. They've set up chairs and cameras in the parking lot and produced their newscasts from there.
The daily paper, the Panama City News Herald, still has no power. Cleanup crews were present when a CNN crew stopped by Friday. But the office was pretty much empty -- the journalists were all out reporting stories.
In the wake of Hurricane Michael, local journalists in the Florida Panhandle are working in incredibly difficult conditions.
Panama City's two biggest TV stations, ABC affiliate WMBB and NBC affiliate WJHG, have been off the air for days. During Wednesday's broadcast, one of the last things viewers heard was a reporter saying, "It sounds like a train is coming over the roof of the TV station. The whole building is shaking."
WMBB general manager Terry Cole said his staff worked and slept at a next-door church Wednesday into Thursday. They've set up chairs and cameras in the parking lot and produced their newscasts from there.
The daily paper, the Panama City News Herald, still has no power. Cleanup crews were present when a CNN crew stopped by Friday. But the office was pretty much empty -- the journalists were all out reporting stories.
The impact of climate change on storms
Michael's strength may reflect the effect of climate change on storms. The planet has warmed significantly over the past several decades, causing changes in the environment.
According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, human-caused greenhouse gases in the atmosphere create an energy imbalance, with more than 90% of remaining heat trapped by the gases going into the oceans.
While there might not be more storms in a warmer climate, most studies show storms will get stronger and produce more rain. Storm surge is worse now than it was 100 years ago, thanks to the rise in sea levels.
The scientific research group Climate Central says unless the rate of greenhouse gas emissions changes, hurricanes are expected to intensify more rapidly in the coming decades.
CNN's Jason Hanna, Scott McLean, Meridith Edwards, Erica Hill, Dave Alsup, Dianne Gallagher, Miguel Marquez and Keith Allen contributed to this report.
Michael's strength may reflect the effect of climate change on storms. The planet has warmed significantly over the past several decades, causing changes in the environment.
According to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, human-caused greenhouse gases in the atmosphere create an energy imbalance, with more than 90% of remaining heat trapped by the gases going into the oceans.
While there might not be more storms in a warmer climate, most studies show storms will get stronger and produce more rain. Storm surge is worse now than it was 100 years ago, thanks to the rise in sea levels.
The scientific research group Climate Central says unless the rate of greenhouse gas emissions changes, hurricanes are expected to intensify more rapidly in the coming decades.
CNN's Jason Hanna, Scott McLean, Meridith Edwards, Erica Hill, Dave Alsup, Dianne Gallagher, Miguel Marquez and Keith Allen contributed to this report.
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