FL

Storm restoration across Bay County

Bay County sits on Florida's Gulf Coast panhandle and is among the most hurricane-vulnerable counties in the state. Hurricane Michael made Category 5 landfall near Tyndall Air Force Base on October 10, 2018, with 160 mph sustained winds and storm surge of 9 to 14 feet between Tyndall AFB and Port St. Joe, destroying or severely damaging 45,000 structures across the county and obliterating roughly 80% of Mexico Beach. The coastline along the Gulf and St. Andrews Bay is exposed to direct open-water surge, which can exceed 20 feet in major storms, while the county's low-lying interior terrain allows floodwaters to spread miles inland from both surge and heavy tropical rainfall. Bay County also has a history of significant hurricane strikes including Category 3 Eloise in 1975, making repeated storm-restoration demand a defining feature of the local economy.