Michael’s not done yet – path of destruction stretches north from Florida

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Linda Clarke gasped when she returned to what was once their stately beach house – before Hurricane Michael turned it into heaps of wood and metal.

Now a tropical storm with winds of 50 mph, Michael is expected to gain strength as it passes into Virginia and moves into the western Atlantic Ocean overnight, bringing damaging winds and life-threatening flash flooding over parts of North Carolina and Virginia.

Six people are dead in the storm’s path, and authorities fear the toll could climb higher as search-and-rescue efforts continue. So far, Coast Guard crews in Florida have rescued 40 people and assisted 232.

Hurricane Michael carried a home across a road and slammed it against a condo complex in Mexico Beach.

Conditions remain precarious in hard hit areas, especially Mexico Beach, Florida, where Michael reduced buildings to rubble and snapped trees in half. A councilwoman from there issued an urgent plea to anyone thinking of returning.

“Please don’t come down,” Linda Albrecht said. “The more people that return, it’s just going to get in the way.”

Track the storm

Key developments

• Where is Michael? As of Thursday evening, the storm was centered about five miles northwest of Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph.

• No electricity: At least 1.15 million customers in seven states are without power, including 383,000 in Virginia, 365,000 in North Carolina and 301,613 in Florida.

• Victims identified: The dead include four people in Florida, a child in Georgia and a man in North Carolina.

• Public health emergency declared in Georgia: The move will help ensure those who rely on Medicare and Medicaid have access to the care they need, US Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar said.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Evan Vucci/AP

President Donald Trump, first lady Melania Trump and Florida Gov. Rick Scott tour a Lynn Haven, Florida, neighborhood that was affected by Hurricane Michael.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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Lisa Patrick is overcome with emotion as she visits the remains of her home in Mexico Beach, Florida, on Monday, October 15.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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The President and first lady hand out bottles of water to people in Lynn Haven on October 15.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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The Trumps tour damage in Lynn Haven.

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President Trump flies over the devastation in Mexico Beach.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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Mexico Beach residents make their way across a washed-out road on Friday, October 12.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Bronte Wittpenn/The Tampa Bay Times/AP

An aerial view shows the devastation in Mexico Beach on October 12. The small beach resort saw the brunt of Michael, authorities say.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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Dough Shelby looks out at the destruction from his house in Mexico Beach on October 12.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Bronte Wittpenn/The Tampa Bay Times/AP

Little remains of a burned home destroyed by the hurricane in Mexico Beach on October 12.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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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.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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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.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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Collector cars are covered in debris in Panama City on October 11.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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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 in Mexico Beach.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Gerald Herbert/AP

Joyce Fox stands in front of her heavily damaged home in Panama City on October 11.

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Gerald Herbert/AP

A boat sits amid debris in Mexico Beach on October 11.

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David Goldman/AP

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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Amanda Logsdon faces a heavy cleanup task at her Panama City house on October 11.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Gerald Herbert/AP

Rescue personnel search Mexico Beach.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

David Goldman/AP

A man walks through a damaged store in Springfield, Florida.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Chris O'Meara/AP

An aerial photo shows a destroyed boat in Mexico Beach on October 11.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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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.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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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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Gerald Herbert/AP

Firefighter Austin Schlarb performs a door-to-door search in Mexico Beach on October 11.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

JONATHAN BACHMAN/REUTERS

Damaged buildings are seen in Panama City on October 11.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP

Debris is scattered in Mexico Beach early on October 11.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Zachary T. Sampson/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire/Newscom

Wreckage is piled up in Mexico Beach, near where Michael made landfall.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Zachary T. Sampson/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire/Newscom

Debris burns in Mexico Beach on October 11.

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Pedro Portal/AP

Haley Nelson inspects damage at her family properties in the Panama City area on Wednesday, October 10.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Zachary T. Sampson/Tampa Bay Times via ZUMA Wire/Newscom

Cars are tossed among the debris in Mexico Beach.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Gerald Herbert/AP

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.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Gerald Herbert/AP

A storm chaser climbs into his vehicle to retrieve equipment after a hotel canopy collapsed in Panama City Beach on October 10.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Eric Thayer/The New York Times/Redux

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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Jonathan Bachman/Reuters

A McDonald's sign is mangled in Panama City on October 10.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Eric Thayer/The New York Times/Redux

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.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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People make their way through a building's wreckage in Panama City on October 10.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

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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.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times/TNS/Newscom

Boats are damaged at the Port St. Joe Marina in the Florida Panhandle.

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Carlo Allegri/Reuters

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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Dan Anderson/EPA

Wrecked boats sit near a pier in Panama City.

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Chris O'Meara/AP

A resident of St. Marks, Florida, pulls a cooler out of the floodwaters near his home.

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Douglas R. Clifford/Cal Sport Media/Zuma Press

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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Carlo Allegri/Reuters

A truck drives along a road in Alligator Point, Florida, that had been washed out by the storm on October 10.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Carlo Allegri/Reuters

Waves hit a house in Alligator Point on October 10.

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NASA/Shutterstock

The eye of the storm, as seen from the International Space Station on October 10.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Gerald Herbert/AP

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.

Photos: In pictures: Hurricane Michael's trail of destruction

Gregg Pachkowski/PNJ.com/USA Today

This boat ran aground at Florida's Quietwater Beach.

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Brendan Farrington/AP

Jayden Morgan, 11, evacuates his home as water starts to flood his neighborhood in St. Marks.

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Devon Ravine/Northwest Florida Daily News via AP

A person takes pictures of the surf and fishing pier on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Florida.

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Gerald Herbert/AP

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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Jonathan Bachman/Reuters

Justin Davis, left, and Brock Mclean board up a business in Destin, Florida, on Tuesday, October 9.

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Chris O'Meara/AP

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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‘Our lives are gone here’

Catastrophic scenes have emerged across the Florida Panhandle, but none perhaps worse than in Mexico Beach, ground zero of the devastation.

Receding floodwater are just starting to reveal the extent of damage. What used to be a gorgeous beachfront city now looks like an apocalyptic mess.

“First the cars started floating by, and all the debris was in the air,” Mexico Beach resident Scott Boutwell said. “When the water came in, houses started floating in front of our home.”

A firefighter searches door to door after Hurricane Michael in Mexico Beach.

When Boutwell returned to his own house, he discovered furniture in his house that wasn’t his. The walls had collapsed and “the only thing I could find of ours was my briefcase,” he said.

As he looked around, a new reality set in: “Our lives are gone here. All the stores, all the restaurants, everything. There’s nothing left here anymore.”

Albrecht, the Mexico Beach councilwoman, would like to return home, but she says the roads are impassible. She’s desperate for news about the condition of her home, but she can’t reach anyone, she says.

She chokes up talking about it. “I just need to know.”

School that helped Hurricane Maria victims is now destroyed

The students and staff at Jinks Middle School have dealt with disaster before. Last year, they welcomed children who were displaced by Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

This time, the Panama City school was ripped apart by Michael. The debris-covered floor of the school’s gymnasium is now fully visible from outside.

Principal Britt Smith choked up as he looked at images of the decimated building.

“You can’t make sense of it, but what you do is you take the situation, and what we have to make certain that our kids know is that we must be resilient,” Smith said.

“Resiliency is important, and it’s an important life message that we all have to learn. … But at this point, there’s really no making sense. It’s just how do we get together, how do we recover?”

Hurricane Michael ripped off walls from Jinks Middle School in Panama City, Florida.

‘I just need to know he’s OK’

Uprooted trees, downed power poles and limited communications have made it hard for first responders and families to reach residents in need.

Dorian Carter searches for his missing cat after several trees fell on his Panama City home Wednesday.

In Seminole County, Georgia, a metal carport crashed through a roof, hitting a girl’s head. Several hours passed before emergency officials could reach the unincorporated area where the girl was killed, county emergency management director Travis Brooks said.

The county coroner identified the girl as 11-year-old Sarah Radney. “She loved God, she was Christian. When the doors to the church were open she would want to be there,” her father Roy Radney said. When her parents couldn’t make it to church, Sarah would get up early and call her aunt for a ride, he said.

One of the four victims from Florida has been identified as Steven Sweet, the Gadsden County sheriff’s office said. Sweet died after a tree fell on a home near Greensboro.

Megan McCall says her brother Jeff and his family were riding out the storm in the Panhandle. No one has heard from them since Wednesday afternoon.

Her brother was able to tell a friend that his home was starting to get cracks in the walls and water was rushing in Wednesday. A neighbor told McCall that all the docks in the area were destroyed and many people are stuck in their homes as the roads have been blocked with debris.

“I just need to know he’s OK,” McCall said. “If the house and the cars are destroyed they can be replaced, but my niece needs her dad – and as much as I sometimes can’t stand him, I would do anything to just know he’s OK.”

Growing path of pain

After slamming Florida and lashing Georgia, Michael is now barreling through the storm-weary Carolinas.

Tornadoes, dangerous winds and more flooding are possible in many of the same areas still recovering from Hurricane Florence. Michael is expected to dump up to 7 inches of rain in parts of North Carolina and Virginia, the National Hurricane Center said.

How to stay safe after Hurricane Michael

A 38-year old man died when a large tree fell on his vehicle on Highway 64, East of Statesville, North Carolina, Iredell County Fire Marshall David Souther said.

In southwestern Virginia, Emily Waddell said the water level in a creek near her property in Simpsons already surpassed what it experienced during Florence. So far, she says she has lost a chicken coop and four of six of gardens due to Michael’s fallout.

“We didn’t expect it to get this bad,” she told CNN via Instagram.

Effect of climate change

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.

An unidentified person takes pictures of the surf and fishing pier on Okaloosa Island in Fort Walton Beach, Fla., on Wednesday, Oct. 10, 2018, as Hurricane Michael approaches the Florida Gulf Coast. [Devon Ravine/Northwest Florida Daily News via AP)

Hurricane Michael isn't truly a 'natural disaster'

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, according to the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration.

While we might not get 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.

And unless the rate of greenhouse gas emissions changes, hurricanes are expected to intensify more rapidly in the coming decades, the scientific research group Climate Central said.

CNN’s Spencer Parlier, Scott McLean, Dave Alsup, Hollie Silverman, Jamiel Lynch, Amanda Watts, AnneClaire Stapleton and Nicole Chavez contributed to this report.