Hurricane Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, Florida, on Wednesday, October 10, as a Category 4 storm. As the hurricane approached land, it intensified even more, bringing along an incredible storm surge and boasting 155 mile-per-hour winds.
Mexico Beach is a small coastal town located in Florida’s panhandle. The effects of Michael completely devastated the area, leveling homes, downing trees, and leaving hundreds of people without power.
Mexico Beach has been known for its gorgeous stretch of beach along Florida’s coast. Looking at the video of the aerial footage above, you can see that the quaint beach town is now covered in debris.
“Along a canal and the beach, foundations mark where homes once stood. Save for a few shells of houses that somehow withstood the storm, this part of the oceanfront neighborhood has been flattened. Boats once docked in the canal have been pushed far up onto the land, and much of what would normally be on land floats in the canal. Homes slightly farther inland built on stilts, presumably as a form of protection against flooding, are toppled off their platforms. Some still have their roofs,” NBC News reports.
Residents who evacuated ahead of the storm have been anxious to get back home and to start the clean-up process.
“I know you just want to go home, check on things and begin the recovery process. We are working as quickly as possible to make that happen. We have to make sure things are safe,” Florida Governor Rick Scott said in a press conference after the storm passed. “So many lives have been changed forever. So many families have lost everything. Homes are gone businesses are gone. This hurricane was an absolute monster. And the damage left in its wake is still yet to be fully understood,” he added.
Mexico Beach was one of the hardest hit areas in Wednesday’s hurricane.
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