Rising death tolls and armed looters after Michael

Florida officials have raised the confirmed death toll in the state from Hurricane Michael to 16 people, with 10 more deaths in Georgia, Virginia, and the Carolinas. Communities in the Florida Panhandle still reeling from the strongest hurricane to hit the continental United States in 50 years are now facing a new danger: armed looters. Authorities in Bay County, Fla., say they have arrested about 10 suspected looters a night since Michael made landfall one week ago. Bay County accounts for 12 of the deaths in Florida and is home to Panama City and the devastated coastal town of Mexico Beach. The looters, who are almost always armed, are targeting homes and businesses, most of which are still without power, Maj. Jimmy Stanford of the Bay County Sheriff’s Office told Panama City’s News Herald. Some residents are displaying spray-painted signs saying, “Looters will be shot.” Stanford said local police officers lost homes themselves and were already working 16- to 18-hour shifts before they started encountering armed looters, adding, “It’s a stressful time for everyone in Bay County.”

More than 100,000 people are still without power along the Florida Panhandle, and cellphone service has just begun returning to the area.