Some Stay as Hurricane Michael Approaches

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Timothy Thomas isn't budging from his home on Ocean View Drive, even though it's directly in the path of Hurricane Michael. Thomas, a 50-year-old air conditioning repairman, plans to defy an evacuation order and ride out the monster storm in an apartment that's just a few hundred yards from the beach and even closer to the tea-colored Grand Lagoon, which will rise as the massive storm pushes ocean water toward the coast of the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday. An Illinois native with a beard, long hair and a streak of independence, Thomas hasn't been through a major hurricane before; he's only lived in Panama City Beach about seven years. A neighbor with far more storm experience is evacuating to higher ground. But police aren't being pushy about enforcing the order, and Thomas figures he, his wife and their puppy will be OK since they live in a second-floor apartment. It's more than 10 feet off the ground, after all, and forecasters say the water in his area isn't supposed to rise that much. "If it does I guess we'll be swimming," he said Tuesday evening as the sky darkened overhead. Thomas isn't alone; other residents along his street also plan to take on Michael head-on, even though authorities have told about 120,000 residents of Bay County to leave. Thomas' first-floor neighbors also plan to stay, and they're welcome upstairs if the water gets too high, Thomas said. So are his next-door neighbors and their dog. "We've got can...
Source: JEMS Operations - Category: Emergency Medicine Authors: Tags: News Operations Source Type: news