Bay County library opens exhibit to highlight Hurricane Michael anniversary

PANAMA CITY BEACH — Nearly five years after Hurricane Michael hit Panama City, the Bay County public library opened an exhibit to represent how much Bay County has recovered.

Hurricane Michael hit on Oct. 10, 2018. The Category 5 storm was the strongest to make landfall in the Florida Panhandle. The wind speed reached 161 mph and caused over 2.5 million power outages in the Southeast.

The exhibit is entitled "Hurricane Michael: A Journey of Strength and Resilience." It opened on Sept. 29 and will close on Oct. 19.

According to a press release from Bay County government, the exhibit is a result of a partnership with the Bay County Board of County Commissioners, the Bay County Public Library, ReBuild Bay County and UF/IFAS Extension Bay County.

The exhibit's features include a real-life hurricane simulator, a children's area, artifacts from the event, and visual representation of how much the county endured. Not only is Bay County giving adults an opportunity to see how far the county has come, but it is also giving young minds an opportunity to learn about the events.

"The main point of the exhibit is to highlight where we've come since Hurricane Michael," Rebuild Bay County Executive Director Donna Pilson said. "The county is recovering very well. One of the things we learned after (Hurricane) Michael is that we can come together by bringing our communities and organizations together."

The people of Bay County will never forget the events that transpired on Oct. 10, 2018, but the opening of this exhibit showcases a sense of strength and resiliency the county has shown since the incident.

The Bay County Public Library is located at 898 W. 11th St.. It is open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays. On Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays it is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The library is closed on Sundays.

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Hurricane Michael exhibit opens in Panama City