Deadly floods swamp Florida Panhandle

By Erin Kourkounis and Rob Johnson, Pensacola (Fla.) News Journal

PENSACOLA, Fla. -- More than 20 inches of rain have fallen on parts of the Panhandle and southern Alabama in the past two days, causing millions of dollars of damage and killing one person.

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The intensity of the storms is expected to diminish by nightfall, but scattered thunderstorms with an inch or two of rain are forecast to continue for the next week.

The storms left thousands without power at times, forced several hundred people into shelters and shut down most access to parts of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. County crews are beginning to assess damage to roads and bridges.

"This is going to take us a couple days to do," said Kathleen Dough-Castro, Escambia County public information officer. "There were areas of the county that 23 inches of rain. No drainage system is going to be able to handle that."

Floodwaters have been deep enough for some residents to float down the streets in kayaks and canoes. Some cars have been nearly submerged.

Still, some decided to make their way to the beach. Its relatively pristine appearance, unmarred by typical masses of seaweed that sometimes follow a storm, made swimming, boogie-boarding and surfing seem deceptively inviting.