This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

Residents of Florida’s Panhandle frantically filled sandbags, boarded up homes and secured boats Monday as they anxiously awaited Hurricane Michael, which forecasters warned could smash into the state’s Gulf Coast as a dangerous major hurricane within days.

Fueled by warm tropical waters, the fast-strengthening Michael could gain major hurricane status with winds topping 111 mph before its anticipated landfall Wednesday on the Panhandle or Big Bend area of Florida, forecasters warn.

Florida’s governor, Rick Scott, called Michael a “monstrous hurricane” with a devastating potential from high winds, storm surge and heavy rains.

Sign up for the US morning briefing

Scott declared a state of emergency for 35 Florida counties from the Panhandle to Tampa Bay, activated hundreds of Florida national guard members and waived tolls to encourage those near the coast to evacuate inland. Scott also said that state health officials were reaching out to hospitals and nursing homes to be prepared. Following Hurricane Irma last year, 14 people died when a south Florida nursing home lost power and air conditioning.

In the small Panhandle city of Apalachicola, Mayor Van Johnson Sr said the 2,300 residents were frantically preparing for a major hurricane strike that could be unlike any there in decades.

“We’re looking at a significant storm with significant impact, possibly greater than I’ve seen in my 59 years of life,” Johnson said.

'It's hyped up': climate change skeptics in the path of Hurricane Florence Read more

By Monday evening, lines had formed at gas stations and grocery stores as people sought emergency supplies even as evacuations were expected to intensify in coming hours. Mandatory evacuation orders were issued for residents of barrier islands, mobile homes and low-lying coastal areas in Gulf, Wakulla and Bay counties.

In a Facebook post Monday, the Wakulla county sheriff’s office said no shelters would be open because Wakulla County shelters were rated safe only for hurricanes with top sustained winds below 111 mph. With Michael’s winds projected to be even stronger than that, Wakulla county residents were urged to evacuate inland.

“This storm has the potential to be a historic storm, please take heed,” the sheriff’s office said in the post.

High winds weren’t the only danger. Parts of Florida’s curvy Big Bend could see up to 12ft of storm surge, while Michael also could dump up to a foot of rain over some Panhandle communities as it moves inland, forecasters said.

Even neighbors in Alabama were bracing. Alabama’s governor, Kay Ivey, signed an emergency declaration for her entire state, expecting widespread power outages.

By 5pm Monday, Michael’s top sustained winds were around 80 mph as it headed north at 9 mph . The storm was centered about 30 miles off the western tip of Cuba.

Michael was lashing western Cuba on Monday with heavy rains and strong winds. Forecasters warned that the storm could produce up to a foot of rain in western Cuba, potentially triggering flash floods and mudslides in mountainous areas.

Tallahassee’s mayor, Andrew Gillum, Florida’s Democratic nominee for governor, had planned to campaign in South Florida on Monday and Tuesday, but instead threw himself into helping his city’s residents fill sandbags and make other preparations.

“Today it is about life and safety,” Gillum said. “There’s nothing between us and this storm but warm water and I think that’s what terrifies us about the potential impacts.”

On the Panhandle, the Escambia county sheriff, David Morgan, warned residents during a news conference Monday evening that if they stayed, first responders wouldn’t be able to reach them during the storm or immediately after.

“If you decide to stay in your home and a tree falls on your house or the storm surge catches you and you’re now calling for help, there’s no one that can respond to help you,” Morgan said.