MEXICO BEACH, Fla. — For 12 hours a day, cadaver dogs have been roaming piles of rubble in this town hard-hit by Hurricane Michael. They leap across the remnants of staircases and fragments of Mexico Beach's boardwalk beneath the constant sun, with hardhat-wearing handlers following close behind.

When the dogs detect the presence of a body, they stop and bark. A second dog is brought in for confirmation, and then the search-and-rescue crews begin to dig.

A rescue team dog searches for victims Tuesday in Mexico Beach. Scott Olson / Getty Images

On Tuesday, cadaver dogs found two bodies in the rubble of Mexico Beach, said Ignatius Carroll, captain of a FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force based in Miami. Carroll did not say where exactly the bodies were found, because they could have been carried by the wave of water that deluged the Florida Panhandle last Wednesday, and he did not want to cause unnecessary panic for the many families still awaiting word from missing relatives.

"We’re not looking at rescues so much anymore — it’s really more search at this point,” FEMA spokesman Mike Yeun said.

The grim discoveries in Mexico Beach came as the storm’s confirmed death toll in Florida rose to at least 16, with 12 of those in Bay County, where Mexico Beach, Panama City and Panama City Beach are, the state division of emergency management said Tuesday.

The number of deaths in Florida could be as high as 19: Three deaths previously announced by the Jackson County sheriff were not included in the state division’s numbers released Tuesday. Overall at least 29 deaths across four states have been blamed on Michael, according to an NBC News tally based on official counts.

Tanya Castro was in her second week as Mexico Beach's city administrator when the storm hit. Now she's scrambling to bring in temporary bathrooms, restore cellphone service and coordinate with state and federal officials on what will be a massive recovery effort for the town of about 1,190 people.

“You saw it when you drove in — so much is just gone," Castro said.