Hurricane Michael: Scenes from Florida as the storm approaches

Ahead of the arrival of Hurricane Michael, thousands of people on the Florida Panhandle are heeding the warning to prepare for the worst or get out.

>> Get the latest live updates on Hurricane Michael in Florida here.

>> Get the latest live updates on Hurricane Michael in Georgia here.

Photos on social media show deserted store shelves, stacked sandbags, busy evacuation routes, and ominous clouds closing in on the coast.

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Check out some of the posts below:

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Hunkering down for #hurricanemichael @chiringograyton Stay safe out there!

A post shared by 30A Freediving (@30afreediving) on Oct 9, 2018 at 11:16am PDT

#MiramarBeach #WaltonCounty @weartv @NWSMobile pic.twitter.com/JaCp59Tt4U
— Daniel Guilliot (@WEARDanielg) October 9, 2018

Early damage. #hurricane #michael #hurricanemichael. pic.twitter.com/SxHeHoabXD
— Kmac (@KevinKmac1415) October 9, 2018

The eye of #HurricaneMichael, seen in this #GOESEast loop, is really starting to take shape as the dangerous Cat. 2 storm moves north over the eastern Gulf of Mexico. Follow Michael on our Atlantic hurricane tracker: https://t.co/d4YBBwPJah pic.twitter.com/qEtcC70zoh
— NOAA Satellites (@NOAASatellites) October 9, 2018

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We were on our #boat cruising The Great Loop and caught the outskirts of #hurricanemichael last night. Our dog Benji took one look and said, nope! #Liveaboard is awesome, but it isn't just sunsets and swimming. If it's this bad for us on the outer edge of the #storm, the #panhandle is in for some tough times. Maybe worse than #hurricaneflorence Hopefully people in the panhandle get out. wakemeadventures.com/ #wakemeadventures #thegreatloop #hurricane #liveaboard #liveaboardlife #onthehook #sea #dog #doglife #dogstagram #storms #boatlife #boating #cruise #cruiselife #cruisinglife #Florida

A post shared by The Fleckensteins (@wakemeadventures) on Oct 9, 2018 at 10:32am PDT

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I think I’m a little late to this hurricane preparation game

A post shared by Jenny Wenlund (@jennywenlund) on Oct 9, 2018 at 10:16am PDT

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Water is on the rise!🌊#hurricanemichael #destin #destinharbor #hightide www.ErinTreadwellRealEstate.com

A post shared by Erin Treadwell (@erintreadwell) on Oct 9, 2018 at 9:55am PDT

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Making way for Michael. #keepstandrewssalty #hurricanemichael

A post shared by Heather Ogilvie (@hiholibrarian) on Oct 9, 2018 at 8:25am PDT

#HurricaneMichael This is the bottled water aisle at Winn Dixie in #PCB pic.twitter.com/J0GWS8Ao0m
— HP (@HunterPalmerPCB) October 8, 2018

The West end of #DauphinIsland is calm but flooded this morning as #HurricaneMichael churns in the Gulf. The wind is light, but the surf is up, and the road is flooded. @rzweather @NWSMobile @FOX10News @michaelwhitewx @wsfa12weather pic.twitter.com/PUSjjSuEIh
— Blake Percival (@percigator) October 9, 2018

#HurricaneMichael has residents hitting the road. This is what he #MidBayBridge looks like right now. Traffic is moving slowly but, people are moving out. @WMBBTV @OkaloosaCounty @OCSOALERTS pic.twitter.com/QxxyAIWJsR
— Peyton LoCicero (@PeytonLocicero) October 9, 2018

People are heading out of Walton County in #NWFL. Traffic is bumper to bumper on 331 NB. #FLWX #HurricaneMichael pic.twitter.com/pnwN54yAWV
— WEAR ABC 3 (@weartv) October 9, 2018

#HurricanePrep @USCG urges mariners to prepare their boats and heed all local warnings before #HurricaneMichael. Use this time before the storm to save your property, but more importantly - your life. Download photos, video and get more information here > https://t.co/pR22YaCjUL pic.twitter.com/LWAYbaKfWe
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) October 9, 2018

Low lying areas such as along Monahan Drive are already seeing water creeping up ☹️ pic.twitter.com/EWh7c5ebk2
— OkaloosaSheriff (@OCSOALERTS) October 9, 2018

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We're lined up to fill sand bags at our nearest Leon County park, preparing for Hurricane Michael. This is the 3rd year in a row making such preparations. This will take a couple of hours. #tiredofthis #hurricaneprep #sandbagging

A post shared by Chris Butterworth (@butterwc) on Oct 9, 2018 at 8:27am PDT

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Gas pumps in Destin wrapped to preserve freshness. #HurricaneMichael

A post shared by Lyn Jerzerick (@ljerzerick) on Oct 9, 2018 at 6:30am PDT

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