Scott Hagan returns to his hometown in Mariana Florida.
Story and photos.
‘May God Be With All Of Us’ – Army Combat Photographer Shares Michael’s Small Town Damage
“My home, the city of southern charm, has been laid to waste. Honestly the pictures do not do the destruction, justice. May God be with all of us.”
Those were the words of U.S. Army combat photographer SPC Scott Hagan after seeing the devastation of Hurricane Michael in his hometown of Marianna.
“I am fortunate as an active duty soldier stationed in California, whose career field happens to be combat camera; that I was allowed to come home on Emergency Leave to not only help my family and friends from this monstrosity, but to document this truly historic, disheartening, and immense event,” he said.
Some of the news we’ve seen following Hurricane Michael has centered on Panama City and Mexico Beach. While the devastation there is catastrophic, residents of small towns like Marianna and Blountstown are hurting. They are the little communities that do not want to be forgotten.
“The destruction is hard to describe. It’s as if a huge tornado hit the entire county. The majority of trees are down or snapped in half. No one was left untouched, no one. Half the homes in (Jackson County) are in ruins.”
“The damage to businesses in my community are just as bad. The hospital, the sheriff station, and even Walmart all are without roofs. Historic downtown is heartbreaking. Monuments and buildings from the late 1800s are no longer standing.”
To see more of Hagan’s pictures, click here.