Law and public safety

Officials say 16 people died in Florida because of Hurricane Michael, doubling the numbers of deaths in the state The Associated Press had previously attributed to last week's storm.

Hurricane Michael was the most powerful storm to make landfall in the continental U.S. in more than 26 years. The now tropical storm is moving over Georgia on its way to the Carolinas.

Hurricane Michael slammed into the Florida Panhandle with terrifying winds of 155 mph Wednesday, splintering homes and submerging neighborhoods before continuing its destructive charge inland across the Southeast. It was the most powerful hurricane to hit the continental U.S. in nearly 50 years and at least one death was reported during its passage.

Cedar Key residents work together to prepare for Hurricane Michael before the 5 p.m. mandatory evacuation.

Hurricane Michael heads for Steinhatchee, a town that was ravaged by Hurricane Hermine only two years ago. The local marinas prepare hastily while residents lie low.

With Hurricane Michael fast approaching, residents of Horseshoe Beach are evacuating. Most are hoping to avoid a repeat of 2016 when Hurricane Hermine devastated the city.

People living between Gainesville and Alachua will no longer feel like they’re in “no man’s land” for coverage.