Michael hammers Florida and Georgia; AU closed Thursday

Staff report |Hurricane Michael, which slammed into the Panhandle of Florida on Wednesday afternoon, Oct. 10, churned through Augusta overnight and into Thursday, Oct. 11, bringing heavy rain and downed tree limbs.Augusta University, which cancelled classes on the Summerville campus on Wednesday, shut down all classes and activities on Thursday, as the city woke up to a clean-up effort. There were reports of several small leaks from the heavy rain on the Summerville campus. Facilities Services was addressing those issues, according to Brittany Addison, the coordinator of AU Facilities.The university will re-open on Friday, although students were already on Fall Pause.AU closed the Dental College of Georgia on Thursday. Only personnel who give "direct patient care" at the medical center and clinics were expected to work normal shifts, according to the university. The AU Medical Center and clinics were scheduled to remain open.Richmond and Columbia county schools were closed on Thursday.Wind gusts in the CSRA were approximately 40 miles per hour as Michael had been downgraded to a tropical storm by the time it reached northeast Georgia.There was a significant power outage west of the Summerville campus in the Forest Hills neighborhood. Power was also out along Berckmans Road.At 8 a.m. Thursday, the storm was centered northwest of Augusta in South Carolina. It was continuing to lose strength, but Michael still was pounding both North and South Carolina, as well as northeast Georgia, with heavy rain. At 8 a.m., its top winds were 50 mph, and it was still a tropical storm.As of 9 a.m. Thursday, approximately 11,000 residents were without power in Richmond and Columbia counties, according to Georgia Power.At 10:30 a.m. Thursday, the storm was centered northwest of Columbia, S.C., and had moved into North Carolina, Kentucky, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia.The storm came ashore in Florida near Panama City. At that point, it was a major Category 4 hurricane.To help with hurricane relief, you can donate to the Red Cross here.

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