Travellers and locals across Florida have braced themselves for the arrival of Hurricane Michael, the strongest and fastest moving hurricane to reach inland USA.
The category two storm picked up speed and upgraded to a category four late yesterday, as it reached the waterfront hamlet of the southeasternmost state.
Some 60 percent of affected residents who failed to evacuate before Hurricane Michael’s arrival are currently experiencing winds of up to 250km/hr and heavy rain levels.
https://twitter.com/AntonioParis/status/1050159000183078913
Local leaders have expressed particular concern for the 1,000 residents living near Florida’s Mexico Beach, who saw their houses smashed when Hurricane Michael made landfall.
Weather bureaus predicted that the storm would travel northeasterly towards Georgia and Alabama, with Tallahassee being the largest city in its path.
Aftermath photos of Mexico Beach, Fla. following #HurricaneMichael. Debris is everywhere. (Photo: Tessa Talarico) pic.twitter.com/kNFPcBYTD7
— Jordan Ferrell (@jordaneferrell) October 10, 2018
The severity of the weather has forced airlines, including American Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines, to cancel some 150 services to and from Tallahassee, Panama City, Pensacola, and Destin-Fort Walton Beach.
A total of 150 flights are believed to be affected today, and the number is likely to rise should the hurricane continue to travel with such strength, USA Today reported.
#HurricaneMichael was captured from the space station today after the storm made landfall as a category 4 hurricane over the Florida panhandle. The @NHC_Atlantic reported maximum sustained winds near 145mph. https://t.co/e7BKY7Qbx5 pic.twitter.com/6tvMhLJ2Yr
— Intl. Space Station (@Space_Station) October 10, 2018
Fliers have also been advised of potential disruptions to other major gateways, such as Atlanta and Charlotte.