'How far we've come': Looking back on Hurricane Michael 5 years after it hit Bay County

MEXICO BEACH — Linda Hamilton is proof it only takes an instant for the severity of a situation to sink in.

Looking back on Hurricane Michael, Hamilton, who is a member of the Mexico Beach City Council, said she still remembers the moment she realized Bay County was in grave danger from the Category 5 storm, which struck the Panhandle five years ago.

It was Oct. 9, 2018, the day before landfall, when deputies with the Bay County Sheriff's Office drove throughout the area, announcing on megaphones that residents needed to evacuate.

"I think that was the first time it really hit me — the seriousness of the storm," Hamilton said. "That was a wake-up call that something really bad was going to happen."

At about 12:30 p.m. the following day, Hurricane Michael struck the Panhandle, with its eye passing over Mexico Beach. Boasting maximum sustained winds of about 160 mph, the storm leveled almost everything in its path, causing widespread destruction throughout Bay County.

The echoes of this destruction still ring today, and the area has taken strides not only to recover, but to build back stronger than before.

Hamilton, along with former Mexico Beach Mayor Al Cathey, said more than 50% of buildings demolished by Michael throughout the city have since been rebuilt. This is quite a feat, considering 85% of structures in Mexico Beach were either destroyed or deemed uninhabitable by the storm, according to Cathey.

He served as mayor of Mexico Beach for 16 years, including during Michael. He was beat out for the position earlier this year by Michele Miller.

"It's amazing in five years when you drive through our city how healthy we look, being that we were flatlined," Cathey said. ""The city's infrastructure, in terms of water, sewer and power, all were destroyed. We were the bull's-eye for a Category 5 storm. ... Being an old Florida town, we weren't prepared to defend ourselves from that type of storm.

"We had to start over in every sense of the word."

Cathey estimates Mexico Beach has completed about 25 storm-related projects over the past five years, including rebuilding Salt Creek Bridge, Mexico Beach Marina, Sunset Park, Canal Park and dune walkovers to the beach. The city has secured more than $110 million in disaster recovery funds to help cover these projects.

Five years later in Panama City

The sounds of reconstruction also are a common tune in Panama City, the Bay County seat and another local area devastated by the storm.

Josh Street, a member of the Panama City Commission, said the city has about $60 million worth of storm-related construction underway, and another $40 million in projects are slated to soon break ground. Panama City has secured more than $300 in disaster relief funds.

Like Hamilton and Cathey, Street said the fifth anniversary of the storm brings back a wave of memories and emotions. He noted Hurricane Michael was the third strongest recorded storm to ever hit the U.S. mainland.

"I've spent a lot of time reflecting on that really bad day and those days after," Street said. "It is amazing to see how far we've come as a community — not just in the city of Panama City, but all around Bay County. Because the day after (Michael), I think we all (wondered) if we would ever recover."

He also said Panama City has not yet completed very many storm-related projects. Its officials have spent a lot of the past five years wading through different state and federal regulations in an effort to secure recovery funds.

"The more funding that you go after, typically the longer it takes," Street said. "Panama City has achieved a staggering amount of funding, but that took time to get. Now we're having to go back and say, 'Look, we've got money to do things, so let's get them done now.' "

"We're really taking a full look and a second look at the way that we've handled all of our stuff to ensure that we can move forward in the fastest and most expeditious manner possible."

More anniversary coverage: Weather Tiger provides five lessons learned five years after 'worst case' Cat. 5 Hurricane Michael

Officials have said a key reasons Mexico Beach has rebuilt faster than Panama City is that there was a greater sense of urgency to build back Mexico Beach, simply because it was the hardest hit area in Bay County.

That said, Street believes Panama City still has come a long way since the storm, and that it is gaining momentum to transform over the next few years. There also still are a number of storm-related projects left to do in each area. They include rebuilding the MLK Rec Center, St. Andrews Marina, Panama City Marina and Marina Civic Center in Panama City, along with rebuilding the city pier, fire and police stations and east jetty wall in Mexico Beach.

"Our city is becoming an active construction site," Street said. "The important thing for everyone to remember is this is temporary. ... We're going to try to keep it the least amount of disruption as possible, but ... we're about to be under (a lot of) construction, and it's going to be an amazing thing for our city."

He, Cathey and Hamilton all believe it was important for the cities to build back stronger than before Hurricane Michael, ensuring the areas can better withstand any future natural disasters. Hamilton also said she believes living through such a storm created a bond between area residents that will last "forever."

"I just think that if you've gone through something that catastrophic as a community, it unites the community, and there's always that common bond that (we) will always feel," she said. "I just think that will always be there in a way that makes the community stronger."

This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Bay County leaders look back at Hurricane Michael five years later