Bay County officials say the Florida Panhandle avoided widespread destruction from the latest hurricane, although downed power lines, flooding and storm surge are creating dangerous conditions, particularly in western Panama City Beach.

PANAMA CITY, FL — Bay County officials say the Florida Panhandle community escaped major hurricane damage overnight, but residents are waking up Saturday, October 10, to power outages, fallen trees, damaged electrical lines and localized flooding.

The Bay County Sheriff’s Office reported that deputies and emergency responders worked throughout the night and began additional damage assessments at daylight.

“It appears that we were spared from major damage but are dealing with power outages, downed trees and powerlines, flooding and minor storm surge issues overall,” the sheriff’s office said.

Officials identified the western end of Panama City Beach as the hardest-hit area of the county based on preliminary assessments.

The full extent of the damage remained under evaluation Saturday morning.

West Panama City Beach sees worst local damage

According to the sheriff’s office, storm-related problems include flooding, downed trees, electrical hazards and areas affected by storm surge.

While Bay County avoided the widespread damage reported in counties farther west, officials warned that dangerous conditions remain throughout the community.

Many traffic signals were not functioning Saturday morning, and downed electrical lines presented a potentially serious hazard.

The sheriff’s office cautioned residents against assuming fallen power lines were safe.

“We cannot ensure that all downed power lines are de-energized at this time,” officials said.

Motorists encountering intersections with nonfunctioning traffic lights were instructed to treat them as four-way stops.

Sheriff’s office urges residents to stay off roads

Emergency officials asked residents to avoid unnecessary travel while crews assess damage and utility workers restore service.

The department specifically discouraged sightseeing in storm-damaged neighborhoods, warning that additional vehicles could interfere with recovery operations.

“We would ask you to stay off the roads as much as possible today and don’t go sightseeing,” the sheriff’s office said.

“This will only prolong the recovery as emergency responders and power companies need to have room to work.”

Deputies and other emergency personnel were expected to remain deployed throughout Saturday to assist residents and address storm-related hazards.

Counties farther west suffered greater damage

Bay County officials said neighboring counties to the west experienced considerably more severe damage.

The sheriff’s office did not provide specific damage estimates or identify individual communities affected outside Bay County.

Local authorities expressed relief that the county avoided a more destructive outcome while acknowledging the difficult recovery facing other parts of the region.

“Our counties to the west sustained considerable damage. Please keep them in your prayers,” the department said.

Residents encouraged to check on neighbors

The sheriff’s office praised local first responders, emergency operations personnel and residents for their cooperation during the storm.

“I’m proud of the resilience of Bay County and our ability to work together and help each other,” the department said.

Officials encouraged residents to check on neighbors, particularly anyone who might need assistance following power outages or flooding.

Emergency personnel will continue assessing damage and responding to calls as recovery operations proceed.