On Oct. 10, 2018, the destructive winds of Hurricane Michael made landfall near the community of Mexico Beach in what is known as the Florida Panhandle.

The report indicated the maximum sustained speed of the storm’s wind was 155 miles per hour This speed–coupled with an internal pressure of 919 mb–was history-making at the time and qualified Hurricane Michael as the “strongest land falling mainland U.S. hurricane since Camille of 1969.”

Destructive Winds of Hurricane Michael Now Upgraded

Coming slightly earlier than the anticipated and typical day in May when storms have been thoroughly analyzed for data by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Association (NOAA), Hurricane Michael has been re-categorized by the agency as a Category 5 storm. This announcement was released on April 19, according to the Accuweather website.

It is hoped that the Michael’s reclassification from a category 4 to a category 5 will have a positive effect on the ability of elected officials on the local, state, and national level to get monies necessary for recovery processes.

The areas that suffered the most devastation along the Florida’s Northwest coast from destructive winds are still reeling over six months after the meteorological ordeal.

Among key issues that residents face—particularly in the Mexico Beach area—are housing shortages and insurance delays for hurricane damage. The Accuweather report indicates that the Bay County Commission Vice Chairman Robert Carroll has noted families living in doubled and tripled up circumstances on the same property.

In other words, help is still needed and will be for some time. The Federal Emergency Management Association’s (FEMA) invested $1.1 billion in area-wide recovery efforts and made another $141 million allocation available to individual households totaling over 30,000.

Help for Hurricane Victims

Recently, according to the FEMA website, the agency has approved $2,712,946 in hurricane debris removal reimbursement funds to the state of Florida. Yet still the area struggles to rebuild.

According to ABC News on April 19, the mayor of Mexico Beach and residents of the coastal community were not surprised by the reclassification and have operated with the understanding they were dealing with a Category 5 storm all along.

The devastating winds of Hurricane Michael were only technically upgraded by five miles per hour—just enough to clear the threshold of the highest and deadliest storm category. The storm itself was directly linked to the demise of 16 people in the U.S. and $25 billion in damage.

Costs of Hurricane Damage

All these months later, a former Mexico Beach population of 1,200 has been diminished to 400 residents with serious endurance. The mayor calls it for what it is—a gigantic depressing mess with no end in sight. To date, one million cubic yards of storm debris has been handled by the town, but so much more work is needed.

The reclassification of Hurricane Michael is not expected to make a lot of difference in terms of real funding from the state or federal government. This funding, as indicated by the Mexico Beach mayor, is critical to rebuilding efforts.

Floridians who suffered damage from the storm, however, hope this may help with their insurance claims. Those individuals worried about making sure they are not only compensated but fairly compensated by their insurance company for all hurricane damage may benefit from speaking with a specialized lawyer.