Tropical Storm Debby has moved toward the southeastern US, bringing with it what is likely to happen long downpours and floods after heavy rain and strong winds in Florida.
The storm killed at least five people on Monday and caused flash flooding in historic Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, and elsewhere along the Southeast’s Atlantic coast. Savannah Mayor Van Johnson told residents to expect a rough day on Tuesday. Debby landed on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane near Florida’s Gulf Coast.
Although Debby is classified as a Category 1, which is based on wind speed, meteorologists say the storm is rain capacity that makes it extremely dangerous.
Here’s the latest news:
The center of Debby was over southeastern Georgia early Tuesday morning with maximum sustained winds of near 45 mph (75 km/h) and was moving toward the northeast at near 7 mph (11 km/h). The center is expected to move away from the Georgia coast later Tuesday. Some strengthening is forecast for Wednesday and Thursday as Debby moves away from the coast before moving inland over South Carolina on Thursday.
The city of Charleston, South Carolina’s emergency plan includes providing sandbags for residents, opening parking garages so residents can park their cars above floodwaters and an online mapping system that shows which roads are closed due to flooding.
About 500 people have been rescued from flooded homes in Sarasota, Florida, a beach town popular with tourists, Sarasota police said in a social media post Monday.
“We actually had twice as much rain as forecast,” Sarasota County Fire Chief David Rathbun said in an update on social media.
Just north of Sarasota, officials in Manatee County reported in a news release that 186 people were rescued from floodwaters.
“We are facing an unprecedented weather event with Hurricane Debby,” said Jodie Fiske, Manatee County Public Safety Director. “The safety of our residents is our top priority and we are doing everything we can to effectively respond to this crisis.”
Heavy winds and rain that accompanied Debby toppled a large tree onto the porch of a home in southern Georgia, killing a 19-year-old man, authorities said Monday.
According to Colquitt County Coroner C. Verlyn Brock, the man died at his home in the town of Moultrie, about 40 miles (64 kilometers) northwest of Valdosta, Georgia, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. reports.
The storm damaged roofs and downed power lines in Moultrie, police Chief Chad Castleberry said. WALB-TV.
The National Hurricane Center reported that Debby had sustained winds of near 45 mph (75 kph) Monday night as it moved slowly northeast. It was expected to pass southeastern Georgia and slow to a crawl as it turned east.