‘It Was Life or Death’: Face-to-Face With Michael’s Fury

‘It Was Life or Death’: Face-to-Face With Michael’s Fury
Hector Morales sits on a debris pile near his home which was destroyed by hurricane Michael in MEXICO BEACH, Fla., Oct. 12, 2018. AP Photo/David Goldman
|Updated:

MEXICO BEACH, Fla.—Tom Garcia watched in terror as fingers of water pushed inland across the beach and began filling up his home.

His wife handed him a drill and Garcia used screws to pin his front and back door shut. But soon the storm surge from Hurricane Michael was up to his chest. His dogs sat on his bed as it floated. He said it took all of his strength to hold his sliding door shut as the waters outside the glass rose higher than those flooding the house.