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Tallahassee damage not as severe as expected
As Hurricane Michael churned its way into Georgia Wednesday evening, Tallahassee appeared mostly spared from the storm, with extensive power outages but little of the catastrophic damage that officials feared.

By 7 p.m., Tallahasseans were already venturing outside their homes and clearing debris from their yards in the city's Midtown and Old Town neighborhoods.

Outside of a few uprooted trees, the debris was mostly small, with the capital city's live oaks withstanding the tropical storm-force winds.

Tallahassee International Airport recorded a gust of 71 mph, according to weather.com. It’s a far cry from the near-Category 5 hurricane winds that crushed Panama City 85 miles away.

Leon County officials feared Tallahassee was facing the worst storm to hit the area since 1894.

But more that 58,000 people, or about half the city’s customers, were without power as of 6 p.m., according to the city’s electric utility, which was already sending out crews to get customers back on the grid.

-- Lawrence Mower, Miami Herald