Flooding Major Concern as Tropical Storm Michael Moves Past Florida and Over Storm-Weary Carolinas
*By Carlo Versano*
Tropical Storm Michael moved rapidly northeast over Georgia and the Carolinas on Thursday after coming ashore as an unprecedented Category 4 on the Florida Panhandle a day earlier and doing severe damage to coastal cities like Panama Beach.
But the biggest fears of potentially catastrophic storm surge did not appear to have been realized. Sarah Rosario, a reporter for the local CBS affiliate in St. Petersburg, Fla., told Cheddar from Crystal River that the waters there had receded, and "things are looking much better."
Up north on the panhandle, though, the damage was more severe. At least two people are dead and hundreds of thousands remain without power after Michael made a direct hit on the region. "This is the biggest storm that area has seen ever," Rosario noted. "It came out of nowhere."
The focus now turns to flooding in the southeast, where the ground remains saturated with rainwater from last month's Hurricane Florence. Michael is expected to quickly move north toward Virginia before exiting back into the Atlantic as a post-tropical system.
Michael is the [fourth](https://twitter.com/chrisdolcewx/status/1050348660339412992) Category 4 storm to hit the U.S. in 14 months.
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/hurricane-michael-hits-florida).
Tinder is offering a new feature called Plus One, allowing users to signal that they're looking specifically for a date to a wedding or are open to attending one. The app is also partnering with WeddingWire to help single guests pay for wedding season with a grant giveaway promotion.
For the first time ever, the Food and Drug Administration authorized e-cigarette products for adults, authorizing the marketing of three new tobacco products. R.J. Reynolds Vapor Company can now sell its Vuse Solo products. According to the FDA, the company was able to show its e-cigarettes helped smokers either quit or significantly reduce their use of cigarettes. Derek Peterson, founder and CEO at Soter Technologies, joins Cheddar News to talk about the move.
"Star Trek" actor William Shatner's voice broke with emotion as he recounted his trip into space on the Blue Origin New Shepard rocket to Jeff Bezos on October 13, 2021.
Netflix has come out to defend Dave Chappelle following accusations of transphobia leveled at his recent comedy special "The Closer." Despite the backlash, the streaming giant announced it will not remove the special from the platform.
Britney Spears took to Twitter to thank fans for applying public pressure in the #FreeBritney campaign. The pop star said they ultimately helped in the removal of her father, Jamie Spears, as her conservator after 13 years.
