Rural areas of FL hit hard by Hurricane Michael are struggling

[Roland99]

https://www.wftv.com/news/florida/folks-in-rural-part-of-panhandle-ask-wheres-the-help/860045666

Although electric, water and sewer service were restored to Panama City residents on Wednesday, those like Ward who live in the rural parts of Bay County still lack basic services.

"It's a struggle. You feel frustrated because our local government seems to care more about the tourism industry than the hard-working people," says the 49-year-old. "You go off some of these dirt roads that are still unpaved, these houses are crushed. These people have no resources.”

...

“When you live that far away from a municipal area, there's a feeling of isolation," she said. "There's no question it's a challenge to reach those folks. Under normal circumstances it takes 45 minutes to an hour to get to some of those northern parts of the county."

Bay County is known for its sugar-sand beaches. Panama City Beach, which made it through relatively unscathed from the storm, is a mecca for spring breakers each year. Mexico Beach, another stunning community on the Gulf of Mexico, was almost obliterated by the storm. Stark, stunning visuals of the destruction there have been a staple of post-hurricane news coverage.

[malaise]

1. Get thee to the greatest page

Vote them out.

[Iliyah]

2. UGH

[BumRushDaShow]

3. There were parts just outside of Panama City and Panama City Beach

like Parker and Callaway, that were also obliterated, and they are not even out in the very "rural" parts of the impacted area of the panhandle. They are literally adjacent to Panama City.

The hurricane also ripped through parts of southern GA literally wiping out crops. Accuweather had an article about this just yesterday -

Hurricane Michael ruined the 'best crop in years' for many Georgia farmers at worst time possible
By Mark Puleo, AccuWeather staff writer
October 24, 2018, 10:54:13 AM EDT


The impacts of Hurricane Michael struck farmers in the Southeast with one of the most devastating seasons imaginable. From cotton to peanuts to vegetables, the economic damage to numerous crops has been severe.

“We are still trying to gain a better understanding of the economic impact, but estimates are in the $2-2.5 billion range,” Jeffrey Harvey of the Georgia Farm Bureau said. “Obviously, the damage to cotton, vegetables, pecans, forestry and poultry are severe and already apparent. It will take a long time for farmers to recover from this storm and, unfortunately, some may never without significant government intervention."

In Georgia, cotton is the top row crop in the state and ranks second in the nation. According to the Georgia Department of Agriculture, less than 15 percent of the state’s cotton had been harvested before the storm.

For the cotton farmers, this isn’t anything new. After Hurricane Irma in 2017 and Hurricane Matthew in 2016, farmers were looking to a successful season in 2018 to make up for losses.

https://www.accuweather.com/en/weather-news/hurricane-michael-devasted-farmers-for-third-straight-year/70006436

[Roland99]

4. :(