Monstrous Hurricane Michael tears into Florida
Fierce storm downgraded as the eye moved across southwestern Georgia
Hurricane Michael claimed its first life after roaring ashore in Florida on Wednesday, flooding homes and streets and toppling trees and power lines in the Gulf of Mexico beachfront area where it made landfall as a raging Category 4 storm.
Michael, packing winds of 250km/h (155mph), was the most powerful storm since Hurricane Camille in 1969.
Michael later weakened to a Category 1. But never in recorded weather history has a hurricane hit the mainland United States at such a speed in October, the month marking the end of the June to November hurricane season.
There were scenes of devastation in Mexico Beach, a community of about 1,000 people where Michael made landfall around 1pm Eastern time - with houses floating in flooded streets, some ripped from their foundations and missing roofs.
Roads were filled with piles of floating debris.
After being battered for nearly three hours by strong winds and heavy rains, roads in Panama City were virtually impassable and trees, satellite dishes and traffic lights lay in the streets.