Before and after photos show Hurricane Michael's destructive power

According to the National Hurricane Center Storm Surge Unit, Mexico Beach was inundated by 14 feet of storm surge while being battered by large waves and extreme winds, causing complete erosion of the dunes and destruction of the pier and many other buildings. The predicted probability of inundation here was only 58 percent, but the probability of overwash was 94 percent. Because water levels were elevated over several tide cycles, the dunes may have eroded before the storm came ashore, exacerbating the impact of the surge and waves to the dunes and infrastructure behind them.