Miami, 14 oct (Ephesus).- He death toll in the southeast of the country due to Hurricane Michael increased to 19, while the rescue and damage assessment continues in the cities of Mexico Beach and Panama City, in Florida, the most destroyed by the cyclone.
Although There is no official figure on the victims and they have not been identified either, local media report 19 deaths, nine of them in Florida, six in Virginia, three in North Carolina and one in Georgia.
In Mexico Beach, 75% destroyed according to its mayor, Al Cathey, a body was found, but so far neither local nor state authorities have officially reported deaths in this city in northwest Florida, where last Wednesday Michael made landfall as a major hurricane.
The governor of the state of Florida, Republican Rick Scott, who visits this city today, pointed out that the Florida National Guard officers helping in the rescue efforts have been increased to 4,000.
Scott, who declared this week the state of emergency in 35 counties, traveled in the company of officials from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to coordinate disaster rescue efforts and allocate federal funds.
Meanwhile, the senator from Florida, Bill Nelson, today takes a tour of the neighboring Tyndall Air Force Base, which was also hit by Michael, which reached Florida with winds of 155 miles per hour (250 km/h) and a storm surge that raised sea levels by up to 14 feet (4.2 meters).
The senator indicated that many buildings at this air base, about 20 kilometers (12 miles) east of Panama City, a city that also suffered great damage, suffered a "total loss."
"Tyndall is home to more than 3,500 airmen. It is essential not only to our national security, but also to our economy," the Democratic senator said today.
Hurricane Michael reached Florida with winds of 155 miles per hour (250 km/h) and a storm surge that raised sea levels by up to 14 feet (4.2 meters).
The assessment of damage and the search for victims is advancing in the southeast of the country amid blackouts in the states of Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Virginia and Alabama, where at least 460,000 families and businesses remain without electricity today, according to the website specialized Poweroutage.us.
On the other hand, the Walt Disney entertainment company announced a donation of one million dollars to the Florida Disaster Fund to support disaster response and recovery efforts.
"All of us here at Disney hold the families and communities impacted by this powerful storm in our hearts," said Walt Disney CEO Robert Iger.
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