Hurricane Michael -- the fourth Category 4 storm to pummel the United States in 14 months -- snapped pine trees like toothpicks, washed neighborhoods into the sea, and shredded the hangars of an Air Force base.
Before the storm's 155 mph winds struck the Florida Panhandle on Oct. 10, storm scientists predicted Michael would be an extremely intense storm, in large part because it passed through ocean waters that were 3.5 degrees Fahrenheit above normal -- and hurricanes thrive on warm water.
The devastation, seen by satellites orbiting hundreds of miles above, is ghastly.
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A one-mile swath of Mexico City is now a wasteland, wrecked by surges of sea water that Hurricane Michael propelled into the coast.
Other neighborhoods were ravaged by the storm's wind. The eyewall of Hurricane Michael -- where the strongest winds churn -- passed directly through Panama City.
Tyndall Air Force Base, located about 12 miles east of Panama City, also took a direct hit.
Fortunately, base commander Colonel Brian Laidlaw evacuated Tyndall two days before Michael struck.
The storm did major damage to the base. A retired display firefighter jet was thrown on its back and the roofing ripped off airplane hangers.
Following the storm, Colonel Laidlaw, while being thankful no lives were lost, acknowledged that "our base took a beating."
"Our area has never seen a storm like this one," Laidlaw added.
The surrounding forests took a pummeling, too. Some trees were bent over and twisted. But most were snapped by the wind.
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