Death toll from Hurricane Michael climbs to 39

The death toll in Florida from Hurricane Michael, which hit the Panhandle earlier this month, has risen to 29, while the total number of people killed by the storm in the United States now stands at 39, the spokesman for the Florida Division of Emergency Management told Efe on Tuesday.

The 10 other confirmed deaths were in Georgia, North Carolina, and Virginia, Alberto Moscoso said.

Bay County, where at least 19 people were killed, was the area worst hit by Michael, which made landfall on Oct. 10 in Mexico Beach packing maximum sustained winds of 250 kph.

Michael pounded the northwest Florida region with torrential rains and a storm surge of 4.2 meters (14 feet).

Three people died in Gulf County; four died in Gadsden and Jackson counties; and Clay, Liberty and Calhoun counties each registered one death from the storm.

"Damage caused by Michael in the communication infrastructure has made it difficult to obtain detailed information on what caused the deaths," Moscoso said.

Medical examiner's offices in the respective counties should be the ones "responsible for confirming the deaths caused by the hurricane," he said.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is providing food, water and shelter to the Gulf County residents most affected by Michael.

More than 42,000 residents and businesses in northwest Florida still do not have electricity due to the extensive damage sustained by the grid.

--IANS

ahm/