Breitbart: Oct. 11 (UPI) — The death toll from Hurricane Michael rose to six on Thursday as about a million people were without power in six states.
A 38-year-old man was killed Thursday when a large tree fell on his vehicle on Highway 64, east of Statesville, North Carolina, Iredell County Fire Marshal David Souther said, CNN reported.
Four other people were killed in Florida, including one man who was killed by a falling tree.
An 11-year-old girl in southwestern Georgia also died when a tree fell on her home, officials said.
President Donald Trump and emergency director Brock Long pushed on Thursday the federal response to Hurricane Michael, a day after it slammed northwest Florida.
Michael made landfall near Mexico Beach, Fla., Wednesday with 155 mph winds — just below Category 5 strength — and peeled off roofs, flooded streets and uprooted trees. O
President Donald Trump on Thursday approved disaster declarations for four Florida counties, clearing the way for federal aid to the hardest hit areas. That includes grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans for uninsured property losses and other programs to help with recovery.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it will focus efforts on rescuing those trapped by flooding and other damage.
FEMA director Brock Long said in a Thursday briefing Mexico Beach took the brunt of the storm and is “ground zero.” Some hospitals and other medical facilities were damaged, but he said hospitals would only be evacuated in a worse-case scenario.
Hurricane Michael also cut power to more than 200,000 people in the Florida Panhandle, including many who may not get it back for weeks.
“Anytime you have a significant storm surge event, roadways and bridges are greatly impacted and you have to survey those before you move power crews in,” Long said.
Michael was downgraded to a tropical storm and is moving toward the Carolinas, an area already hit hard this year by Hurricane Florence. Long urged residents in the Carolinas to heed warnings and take the tropical storm seriously.
At least 1,085,356 people in six states were without power according to local power and energy agencies. As many as 389,639 customers in Florida, 484,487 customers in North Carolina, 117,000 customers in Georgia, 24,000 customers in Alabama, 9,163 customers in South Carolina and 61,067 customers in Virginia. MORE
Next up: “Citing these deaths, Democrat politicians are urging new legislation to ban large trees in areas where hurricanes, tornadoes, and other storms could occur.”
The pictures/vids coming out of Mexico Beach are overwhelming.
I’m surprised the death toll isn’t higher.
It’s past time to ban assault trees. NO ONE SHOULD OWN AN ASSAULT TREE!
155 mph is outside the normal experience of all but the very few, and it’s difficult to get a personal sense of that kind of force. Here’s one way.
A skydiver in belly-down position achieves an equilibrium speed¹ of about 120 mph after about 10 seconds of falling. By equilibrium I mean the force of gravity on, and the wind resistance of, the skydiver are equal and the skydiver stops accelerating towards earth.
If somehow that 155 mph wind were to blow vertically straight up, if you were caught in it, it would carry you up to the sky at 35 mph.
1. This is usually called “terminal velocity” but I think “equilibrium speed” is a bit more accurate and a lot less gruesome sounding.