Tropical Storm Debby started wreaking havoc along Florida’s Gulf Coast Saturday night, August 3. It crawled up and soaked the west coast, leaving up to nearly 22 inches of rain in some counties.
Debby was upgraded to a Category 1 hurricane when it hit near Steinhatchee, FL around 7 a.m. Monday morning. It has since been downgraded again to a tropical storm.
A total of five fatalities have been reported so far: a 13-year-old boy in Levy County, FL, after a tree fell on a mobile home; a 38-year-old woman and her 12-year-old son, in Dixie County, FL after the woman lost control in a car and crashing into a median guardrail and the vehicle overturned; a 64-year-old man in Hillsborough County, FL after he lost control of his semi-truck, collided with a concrete barrier and went over a wall into a canal; and a 19-year-old man in Moultrie, GA after a tree struck his home.
Over 24 hours have passed, and 90,000 customers still remain without power in Florida.
“Restoration is taking longer in areas with flooding and heavy vegetation, as crews must wait for water to recede and clear through debris before they can restore power. Rest assured, we’ll continue working until everyone who can safely receive power is restored, Florida Power & Light posted on X. Residents are asked to avoid flooded areas and downed power lines. Georgia has about 27,000 customers without power and South Carolina has about 12,000 in the dark as well.
More than 700 flights have been canceled.
“Debby is expected to produce potentially historic rainfall totals of 10 to 20 inches, with maximum amounts of 25 inches, bringing areas of catastrophic flooding across portions of southeast Georgia, the eastern half of South Carolina, and southeast North Carolina through Friday,” said the hurricane center based in Miami. “From North Carolina through portions of the Mid-Atlantic States, 4 to 8 inches of rainfall, with local amounts to 12 inches, are expected through Sunday morning. This rainfall will likely result in areas of considerable flash and urban flooding, with river flooding possible.”
By - FZ
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