Hurricane Michael, which occurred on October 10 2018, is said to be the strongest hurricane to strike the Florida’s Panhandle on record. It is also the strongest storm to make landfall in the continental US since Hurricane Andrew in 1992.
The hurricane roared into the state’s Gulf coast with tree-snapping winds and towering waves. One of the leading American Muslim relief group, Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA), has kicked off some efforts to offer relief for the victims of Hurricane Michael
“ICNA Relief’s Disaster Relief Services are prepared to respond to Hurricane Michael with our clean up and repair rig, mobile medical units and in-kind supply trucks standing by.”
The masjid in Panama City has also been destroyed. Moreover, the Islamic school is flooded and the ceiling inside has been completely caved in causing equipment to be destroyed. Moreover, the deal toll is reported to have risen to at least 18 people and the possibility of it to climb up persists. Also, more than 1.4 million utility customers from Florida to Virginia were without power as of Friday morning. The number of people in emergency shelters was also expected to swell to 20,000 across five states.
Michael, whose rapid intensification as it churned north over the Gulf of Mexico caught many by surprise, made landfall early in the afternoon near Mexico Beach, about 20 miles (32 km) southeast of Panama City in Florida’s Panhandle region, with top sustained winds reaching 155 miles per hour (249 kph).
Michael grew from a tropical storm into a Category 4 hurricane over the course of approximately 40 hours. Michael also ranked as the third-most powerful storm on record to make landfall in the continental United States, after Hurricane Camille on the Mississippi Gulf Coast in 1969 and the Labor Day hurricane of 1935 in the Florida Keys. Michael also disrupted energy operations in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico as it approached land, cutting crude oil production by more than 40 percent and natural gas output by nearly one-third as offshore platforms were evacuated.
May Allah (SWT) save us all from such wrath and may more Muslim communities strive to be a part of such causes in order to help others in the way of humanity as Islam teaches us. Let us all make Dua for the victims and provide any sort of help possible from our side; donate or volunteer.
