Hurricane Michael Update from OneRestore Onsite in Panama City

OneRestore has had crews in Panama City Bay County area since Hurricane Michael slammed into the Panhandle as a category 4 hurricane, on October 4th.

Michael was said to be the strongest hurricane to hit Florida shores in 14 years. The damage to the area will take months to recover, and many are without homes to live in. Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency for Bay County and now 34 other counties affected by Hurricane Michael. At last count, 8 people lost their lives to the storm and many others were injured.

As a tourist beach town, much of the area’s income is derived from beach-going tourists and boaters. At this time, it is uncertain when repairs will be completed and how extensive the effect to the area economy will be.

The Panama City Marina is closed indefinitely due to significant damage from Hurricane Michael. Boats, wooden piers, the seawall in certain areas and marina store were damaged, said Jared Jones, the assistant city manager in Panama City. It’s currently too early to tell when the marina will reopen, said Jones. “Right now insurance companies are working with vessel owners to pull boats out,” said Jones. “There’s an environmental concern with the fuel and oil in the water. We’re working with state and national agencies to get it cleaned up.”

By a preliminary scan, Hurricane Michael is thought to have siphoned off between 1 million and 2 million cubic yards of sand from Panama City Beach shores. That’s about the carrying capacity of between 60,000 and 130,000 dump trucks. Officials are still not yet sure, however, of what the total impact will be. Next week, coastal engineers will conduct a survey on the 18.5-mile stretch of beach. Lisa Armbruster, the beach consultant for the Bay County Tourist Development Council, said the sand will be measured every 1,000 feet, from the dunes to 50 feet of water. The data collected will be compared to the annual survey conducted in May. It will be important to discover how far from the shore the sand was pulled, Armbruster said. If it was taken too far, it’s unlikely that the tides will bring it back. The results of the survey are expected by the end of this month.

OneRestore’s crew leader Branden Berger reports, “It is hard to find a metal building that is still standing. Most houses have incurred some type of damage, and even the massive pine trees in the area have been snapped in two like twigs. Our people here in Panama City are working 80 hour weeks to get people back to normal as soon as possible. Looks like we will be here a while.”

If you or someone you know in the Panama City Bay County need roof tarps to minimize damage, flood water extraction, water damage dryout and repairs, or structural repair for any other storm damage caused by Hurricane Michael, contact OneRestore. We are a Florida-based, experienced restoration company handling all aspects of the restoration including reconstruction and construction repairs , and remodelling. We also work directly with insurance companies, coordinating the claim to ensure maximum home owner benefit. We have crews onsite, and can usually respond within 24 hours.