Hurricane Michael Impact

In addition to the life-threatening storm surge, structural damage was extensive, particularly across the Florida Panhandle. Preliminary data assessments indicate almost 50,000 structures were affected across the Florida Panhandle, western Big Bend, southwest Georgia and southeast Alabama. Of these, more than 3,000 structures were destroyed. Homes and businesses were not the only structures impacted. The Hurricane Michael Preliminary Virtual Assessment Team (P-VAT) report from the Structural Extreme Event Reconnaissance Network indicated that two hospitals in Bay County, Bay Medical Sacred Heart and Gulf Coast Regional Medical Center also sustained significant damage. One hospital had glass crack and cladding stripped off the building while the other hospital had issues with power and water. Tyndall Air Force Base (AFB), that experienced the eye of Hurricane Michael, experienced catastrophic damage with every building on base experiencing some roof damage. A nearby elementary school had a portion of its roof ripped off. During the height of the storm, before the transmission stopped, a sensor at Tyndall AFB measured a gust to 139 mph.