Michael lays bare Panhandle’s weaker building codes

Unlike in South Florida, homes in the state's Panhandle did not have tighter building codes until just 11 years ago; it was once argued that acres of forests would provide the region with a natural barrier against the savage winds of a hurricane. When many of the homes on the Panhandle were built, the state had a patchwork of codes from which some buildings here were exempt.

Michael’s destruction reveals region’s weaker building codes

Unlike in South Florida, homes in the state's Panhandle did not have tighter building codes It was once argued that the trees would help save Florida's Panhandle from the fury of a hurricane, as the acres of forests in the region would provide a natural barrier to savage winds that accompany the deadly storms. It's part of the reason that tighter building codes - mandatory in places such as South Florida - were not put in place for most of this region until just 11 years ago.

Ap Fact Check: Trump on hurricane and political winds Source: Ap

Hurricane Michael has shown that President Donald Trump can't always be counted on to give accurate information to the public when a natural disaster unfolds. Trump wrongly stated that the hurricane moved across land with blazing speed, which stopped a terrible situation from becoming even worse because the storm didn't linger.

The Latest: 2 more deaths from Michael in North Carolina

North Carolina authorities say a car smashed into a tree felled by Hurricane Michael, killing two people and bringing the total death toll from the storm to 13. McDowell County Emergency Management Director William Kehle says the accident happened about 7:30 p.m. Thursday in Marion, located in mountainous McDowell County. State emergency management spokesman Keith Acree said the 64-year-old woman was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Latest: Scott, Nelson postpone Senate debate on CNN

U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long says he expects the death toll from Hurricane Michael to climb because teams haven't gotten to the hardest-hit areas in Florida. Long said Friday that he's worried people didn't evacuate along Mexico Beach or from other devastated locations and may not have survived.

Hurricane Michael: Towns in Florida Panhandle ‘devastated like a war zone’

Entire oceanfront communities in the Florida Panhandle were virtually obliterated, an Air Force base suffered "catastrophic" damage and at least six people were killed by Hurricane Michael , a sucker-punch of a storm that intensified suddenly and now ranks as one of the four most powerful hurricanes ever to strike the United States. "This one just looks like a bomb dropped," said Clyde Cain, who is with the Louisiana Cajun Navy, a group of volunteer search-and-rescue teams that went to Florida to help in Michael's wake, just as they did last month during Hurricane Florence in the Carolinas.

‘Apocalyptic:’ One Florida town demolished by Michael

Mishelle McPherson looks for her friend in the rubble of her home, since she knows she stayed behind in the home during Hurricane Michael, in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018. Mishelle McPherson looks for her friend in the rubble of her home, since she knows she stayed behind in the home during Hurricane Michael, in Mexico Beach, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 11, 2018.

Famous for staying open during natural disasters, Waffle House closes 21 restaurants

Hurricane Michael is so bad , Waffle House closed 21 restaurants in storm's path for the foreseeable future. "We close the restaurants when there is a mandatory evacuation or when conditions determine that it is not safe," Pat Warner, Waffle House's director of public relations and external affairs, said in an email.

What’s happening: Hurricane Michael hits Florida, Georgia

Hurricane Michael is one of the most powerful storms ever to hit the U.S., and the proof is strewn across miles of Florida's coastline: Roofs and awnings peeled from buildings, pieces of homes scattered amid snapped trees and downed power lines, chunks of beaches washed away. After landfall in Florida, Michael's strong winds and heavy rains thrashed Georgia and headed toward the Carolinas, including areas that got a soaking last month from Hurricane Florence.

Monstrous’ Hurricane Michael heads towards Florida

A fast and furious Hurricane Michael sped towards Florida on Tuesday night with 120mph winds and a potential storm surge of 13 feet, giving tens of thousands of people little time to get out or board up. Drawing energy from the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico, the storm strengthened rapidly into a potentially devastating Category 3. It was forecast to blow ashore around midday on Wednesday near Panama City Beach, along a lightly populated stretch of fishing villages and white-sand beaches.

Protesters target opioid maker

The Winchester family of Philip Baldwin, who fatally overdosed in July 2017, participated in a protest Sunday against Purdue Pharma, the makers of OxyContin. The all-day protest took place outside the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery at the Smithsonian Institution and at Freedom Park near the White House, according to Beth Baldwin, Philip Baldwin's mother.

Service warns of minor flooding along several Iowa rivers

The National Weather Service posted or continued warnings Tuesday for the Cedar, Iowa, Maquoketa, Mississippi, North Raccoon, Rock and Wapsipinicon rivers. More rain is expected to fall on already saturated ground and eventually flow into already swollen streams and rivers.

River Rock casino offers cheap stays for firefighters

A wildfire burns near the Westminster highway on Department of Defense land in Richmond, B.C. on Friday July 27, 2018. Photo: THE CANADIAN PRESS/BC Wildfire Service A suspected international money launderer has been arrested at the River Rock Casino Resort in Richmond, where he was found be living temporarily The River Rock Casino Resort for is offering firefighters a cheap rate for weekday stays in October and November to thank them for their work battling summer wildfires.

Morgan County gets USDA primary natural disaster area declaration

Farmers whose property was severely affected by large hail, high winds or the three tornadoes that passed through Morgan County on July 29 could be eligible for further credit and assistance programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Farm Service Agency after U.S. Agriculture Sec. Sonny Perdue designated Morgan County as a primary natural disaster area from that storm. The federal government on Friday declared Morgan County to be a primary natural disaster area because of the losses farmers and producers suffered from the massive storm that hit on July 29, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture news release.