FLIGHTS CANCELLED: Hurricane Michael tears through Florida, killing 6

FLIGHTS CANCELLED: Hurricane Michael tears through Florida, killing 6

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled to and from the Carolinas and Georgia as hurricane Michael, now downgraded to a tropical storm, pelts the region with heavy rain and strong winds.

After devastating the Florida Panhandle, killing at least six people and leaving nothing but empty foundations in its wake, the tropical storm has sped towards the Atlantic Ocean.

More than 300 flights were cancelled yesterday at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, with dozens of others cancelled across other airports such as Raleigh-Durham International Airport, Charleston, South Carolina, Savanah, Georgia and Atlanta, according to CNBC.

Today, most airports are operating as per usual, except Charlotte Douglas, which, according to FlightAware.com, has seen 21 cancellations.

The extent of the damage is not yet clear, with comms outages and roadblocks making it difficult to asses, but the ABC reports the initial picture was grim.

The worst damage was in Mexico Beach, where the category four storm demolished entire blocks of homes with winds packing speeds of 250 kilometres per hour and a storm surge of 2.7 meters.

“So many lives have been changed forever. So many families have lost everything,” Florida Governor Rick Scott told the Weather Channel.

The Governor urged residents from devastated areas to stay away for now, for fear of fallen trees, power lines and other debris.

“I know you just want to go home. You want to check on things and begin the recovery process,” said Scott.

“We have to make sure things are safe.”


Featured image credit: AP Photo/Gerald Herbert

 

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