Evacuate or not? Some gamble on staying despite Michael

PANAMA CITY BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Some people who live in the path of Hurricane Michael are rolling the dice and staying put despite orders to evacuate the coast.

In Panama City Beach, Florida, Timothy Thomas figures he and his wife will be safe from rising ocean water since they live in a second-story apartment. Others also aren’t leaving, and a bar along the beachfront road threw a hurricane party less than 2 miles away from Thomas’ home as Michael pushed toward shore Tuesday night.

Michael became a life-threatening Category 4 hurricane early Wednesday as it roared down on the Florida Panhandle.