Post-Michael Florida: Fear, frustration and life on the edge

MEXICO BEACH, Fla. (AP) — For residents of the hurricane-ravaged Florida Panhandle, everyday life is rife with fears, frustrations and the troubles of just trying to get by.

Cellphone service is often spotty, looters can show up at any time and there are long lines to obtain gasoline, water and essentials more than a week after Hurricane Michael slammed into the coast.

Unseasonably warm temperatures in the 80s are adding to the misery because so few people can cool down with air conditioning. Bottled water is plentiful at roadside aid stations; ice is another matter.

Poor cellphone service leaves those most vulnerable with little information to help them get by. Residents in Panama City eagerly ask for tips on finding pharmacies, coin-operated laundries and stores that might sell batteries to power flashlights with fading beams.

See Also:

• House committees to interview Rosenstein behind closed doors

• American Express profits jump 22 percent, beating forecasts

• Wainwright's contract put on hold until after free agency