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First Images Of Hurricane Michael Show Storm Flattening Buildings, Bending Trees

(Snapshot/Twitter)

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Chris White Tech Reporter
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Videos and photos posted on social media Wednesday afternoon show the carnage from Hurricane Michael as the Category 4 storm begins wrecking parts of Florida.

Michael has arrived. Videos posted on Twitter show the storm collapsing buildings in Pensacola, Florida, and bending trees sideways. The storm is sustaining Category 4 wind gusts as it pelts the state before moving northeast toward Georgia.

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The storm is sustaining winds of 145 mph and is threatening to deliver heavy rainfall and a massive storm surge — up to 12 feet in parts of northwestern Florida. (RELATED: Rick Scott Issues Dire Warning Ahead Of Hurricane Michael)

Nine major hurricanes have made landfall on the Florida Panhandle since 1851, meteorologist Philip Klotzbach wrote on Twitter. Only seven hurricanes that have hit Florida had a lower central pressure reading than Michael, according to Klotzbach. Michael is expected to weaken and head northeast, dumping rain as it goes.

“Hurricane Michael is forecast to be the most destructive storm to hit the Florida Panhandle in decades,” Scott told reporters Monday. “Remember, this storm could grow stronger and be a Category 3 hitting our state. This storm will be life-threatening and extremely dangerous.” (RELATED: 400,000 People Without Power As Florence Slams The Carolinas)

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It’s a quick-moving hurricane, so the energy will likely diminish as it moves, but government officials are still issuing dire warnings.

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) head Brock Long urged Georgia to take Hurricane Michael seriously Wednesday ahead of the storm’s arrival.

“The citizens in Georgia need to wake up and pay attention,” Brock said at a press briefing. “Bottom line is this storm will be the worst storm Southwest and Central Georgia has seen in many decades, if not the worse storm.”

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