MEXICO BEACH, Fla. — Hurricane Michael is responsible for 32 deaths in four states.
- Hurricane Michael is responsible for 32 deaths in 4 states
- 16 people died in Florida
- Some residents of Mexico Beach were allowed back in neighborhoods
- How you can help hurricane victims
Officials say 16 people died in Florida because of Hurricane Michael, doubling the number of deaths previously attributed to last week's storm.
Florida officials announced the state's updated death toll this week. State officials did not provide details of how the victims' deaths were storm-related.
Officials say 12 of the deaths occurred in Bay County, a seaside county which took a direct hit from the storm.
The tally also includes 10 deaths in Virginia, Georgia and North Carolina.
Mexico Beach, where hurricane Michael hit as a category four storm, remains unrecongnizable.
People who live there say it’s almost like a dream— it doesn't feel real. State emergency management officials said some 124,500 customers across the Panhandle were still without power Wednesday morning and 1,157 remained in shelters.
They've spent the last day sifting through what’s left of their homes, going through the rubble and debris looking for anything they can salvage.
Communities across the state have come together, collecting donations for people in the panhandle. FEMA also has teams there helping residents register for disaster help.
Despite all of the damage and destruction, residents say they’re hopeful that they’ll come back better than ever.
"We will rebuild and we'll be okay," said Shelly Breedlove, a Mexico Beach resident.
Kimberly Shoaf, president of Mexico Beach Community Development Council said this isn't the end of Mexico Beach.
"We still have a big story to write and we're going write one," she said.
Many residents in Mexico Beach finally saw their homes for the first time since Hurricane Michael on Wednesday.
When authorities finished securing the area and completed the search and rescue.