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Hurricane Michael — now downgraded to a tropical storm —has claimed six livesin three statessince touching down on Wednesdayin Floridaas a Category 4 hurricane.
The rising death tolls follow news of an 11-year-old girl in Seminole County, Florida, dying in her family’s mobile home Wednesday afternoon after a tree fell on the structure, theTallahassee DemocratandThe Washington Postreported.
The Tropical Storm continued through the Southeast on Thursday, causing floods and wind damage, according to thePost. As a hurricane, Michael was the strongest on record in the Florida Panhandle. It left homes and buildings in ruins, high flood waters and debris across the area.
Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post/Getty
More than 486,000 were without power in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and the Carolinas in the wake of the storm’s landfall, according toCNN. Areas of Virginia and North Carolina are experiencing flash floods. Debris in Florida have prompted authorities to close a large portion of Interstate 10.
By Thursday, the tropical storm had winds reduced to 50 mph over eastern Georgia, according toCBS News, as officials warned of “life-threatening” flash floods in Southeastern Virginia.
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“Strong winds, heavy rain, and tornadoes are expectedacross portions of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina today,” the National Hurricane Center warned on Twitter.
Michael Graham, the National Hurricane Center’s director, labeled the Michael weather event a “history-making, very devastating storm and one that we’re never going to forget,” according toNBC News.
RELATED VIDEO: Hurricane Michael Made Landfall As A Destructive Category 4 Hurricane
On Thursday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northamdeclared a state of emergency, urging Virginia residents in a statement to “prepare for the serious possibility of flash floods, tropical storm force winds, tornadoes and power outage.”
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Officials have warned that the death toll could rise amid search and rescue efforts as the storm continues on.
“The big problem with this hurricane was the tremendous power, and fortunately it was very fast,” Trump said on Thursday as he and the white house declared a major disaster in Florida. “It went through Florida very, very quickly.”
source: people.com
