Photos and videos from meteorologists and storm chasers show how brutally the storm devastated the Florida Panhandle

This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

At least two people have been reported dead and innumerable homes destroyed as Hurricane Michael devastated the Florida Panhandle on Tuesday. The towns of Panama City Beach and Mexico Beach took much of its impact, and there were reports of homes burning uncontrolled with no one on hand to put them out.

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Images of the destruction began circulating on social media on Tuesday and into this morning revealing the massive scope of the hurricane’s force.

Marc Weinberg, a meteorologist at WDRB in Kentucky, shared this video of a home falling down in Panama City Beach.

Marc Weinberg (@MarcWeinbergWX) New construction just collapsed in front of me in Panama City Beach from #hurricanemichael!!! It is going bad fast! pic.twitter.com/CG5R8jcUuf

ABC News meteorologist Ginger Zee surveyed the aftermath.

Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) Damage now from the back side of our condo building in Mexico Beach. #Michael pic.twitter.com/BVAJfPFwkZ

Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) We won’t venture out until it’s safe but many people are wondering about their family members and homes. Here is my view from 23rd street summer house up and down 98. pic.twitter.com/37AuUQOAGH

Ginger Zee (@Ginger_Zee) This is what 98 looks like from my viewpoint inside Summer House On 23rd Street in Mexico Beach. This condo building we are in sustained very little damage. Can’t say the same for homes in the distance that were washed away. Such a sad scene. pic.twitter.com/pNIZV7rEsx

Storm chaser Jeff Gammons saw gas stations and numerous other businesses destroyed.

Jeff Gammons (@StormVisuals) Gas station canopy at the intersection of Cherry Street and Tyndall PKwy has collapsed. #HurricaneMichael pic.twitter.com/VkGHHgbwoG

Jeff Gammons (@StormVisuals) Complete destruction to the northeastern side of this bank in Panama City, FL. #HurricaneMichael pic.twitter.com/d1eG2ymZVZ

Jaclyn Whittal of the Weather Network toured downtown Panama City, now eerie and mostly desolate.

Jaclyn Whittal (@jwhittalTWN) Downtown Panama City proper got hit way harder than Panama City Beach. Not shocked as it was hit by the right eyewall. This is catastrophic damage here. @weathernetwork @StormhunterTWN #HurricaneMichael pic.twitter.com/Y7rUyHE7Wj

“Like an vast tornado ripped through the entire city,” she wrote. “It’s true. Catastrophic damage everywhere near Panama City, FL.”

The hurricane, the strongest to hit the United States in decades, was powerful enough to rip a high school gymnasium in half, as seen in a video shared by ABC News.

A storm chaser filming a live stream in the midst of the storm had to eventually abandon his car, and footage of the camera, still rolling inside, appears to show the car being swept away by the water. He was later reported as being safe.

The Weather Channel’s Chris Dolce shared a before and after photo of the same location that appears to show an entire two-story home lost to the sea.

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Chris Dolce (@chrisdolcewx) Before and after from Mexico Beach, FL. Notice structure in blue totally gone in after image. Put together through videos on this FB page. #HurricaneMichael #Michael https://t.co/2NfG2A0Iwu pic.twitter.com/viKcHsUsIJ

“It’s hard to convey in words the scale of the catastrophe in Panama City. The whole city looks like a nuke was dropped on it. I’m literally shocked at the scale of the destruction,” wrote storm chaser Josh Morgerman on Twitter.

Brennan Prill (@bren_prill) Trees snapping as #HuricaneMichael makes land fall. pic.twitter.com/tnB0uVl0wR

Flooding has now been reported as far away as North Carolina this morning as the storm moves north into a region still barely recovering from Hurricane Florence.