Michael splinters homes, uproots trees, upends lives

Hurricane Michael destroyed property and left thousands of people’s lives in shambles as it moved across the Florida Panhandle Wednesday and Thursday.

“So many lives have been changed forever, so many families have lost everything,” the New York Times quoted Gov Rick Scott as saying. “Homes are gone, businesses are gone. Roads and infrastructure along the storm’s path have been destroyed. This hurricane was an absolute monster.”

At least six people have been confirmed dead as a direct result of the storm, and at least 7,800 were reportedly in shelters in Florida, the paper reported, citing American Red Cross reports.

The school board meeting originally scheduled for Thursday night in the Calhoun County School District was cancelled, as school was called off for the day in Calhoun and the following districts, according to a report in the Tallahassee Democrat:

Local rescue efforts are strong in Florida, and help has arrived in many cases. “This town got destroyed within 24 hours, but it took us 12 hours to bounce back harder than ever,” the Times quoted Jay Stiles, a local firefighter in Gadsden County, as saying. “Citizens came together.”