Hurricane Michael death toll rises again.
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On Friday, authorities confirmed five additional storm-related deaths, bringing the total fatalities from Hurricane Michael up to 13.
Authorities have said seven of the deaths occurred in Virginia, most of which were due to drowning incidents involving cars, according to the New York Times. A firefighter in Virginia also died while responding to an emergency call on the interstate. A tractor-trailer slammed into the fire engine, which was pushed into the group of firefighters. Three other firefighters were injured.
Previously reported deaths included that of 11-year-old Sarah Radney, who was struck in the head by a piece of a carport blown onto the house where she was sheltering.
According to the Associated Press, Florida emergency officials have done a “hasty search” for victims or survivors over roughly 80 percent of the affected area. While the number of deaths has not been extreme given the historic severity of the storm, more deaths could still be reported.
Relief workers will continue search-and-rescue efforts through Friday and then switch focus to passing out food and water in the most hard-hit areas, according to the AP. The state is using helicopters to fly supplies into coastal towns made inaccessible by obstructed and damaged roads. According to the Times, around 1.5 million people are without power across the South.
The storm left Tyndall Air Force Base, just south of Panama City, in ruins, with entire airplane hangers in tatters. The base, according to the Times, has the largest group of F-22 stealth fighters, each of which costs $339 million. At least 33 F-22s were flown to safety before the storm, but the base was home to 55 total, and photos taken from the wreckage show evidence of damaged and destroyed jets.
Michael, now a post-tropical cyclone, has headed out to the Atlantic Ocean on Friday. Its threats to land are largely gone, though flash flooding could still occur in the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic states.
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