SNEADS, Fla. (WTXL) - Winds topping out near 100 mph from Hurricane Michael hit Jackson County, leaving many homes and businesses damaged.
The town of Sneads is still without power, a week after the storm. And residents are relying on FEMA and other outside resources for food and water.
Linda Bell, City Manager for Sneads, said crews are busy clearing roads, and the job of power restoration hasn't even begun in earnest.
Right now, many people are just trying to get supplies to get through several more days in the dark.
That's why the distribution site is serving about 900 cars a day for residents in Sneads and neighboring communities.
"The people here, a lot of them, don't have a lot to start with. So it breaks your heart to see what they're going through," said Bell. "And when they're coming through your line and they're saying I need food, I need water and I need tarps. That's about as basic as it gets."
All town buildings, along with the water supply and waste treatment are running off FEMA generators.
While the city is in recovery mode, supplies will continuously be shipped in.
Utility workers have staged a site outside a neighborhood. Crews tell us they estimate half the power poles in the area are destroyed and right now they can't estimate restoration dates.
The earliest students can go back to school is November. All school buildings in Jackson County, except the high school, were damaged by the storm.
A spokesperson for Jackson County says the hope is search and rescue teams will finish their door-to-door checks by the end of Thursday.
