Tropical Storm Debby drenched Florida on Monday, killing at least four people and threatening southeastern US states with torrential rain and flooding.
A 13-year-old kid died after a tree was thrown onto a mobile home in Levy County, according to the sheriff’s office, just after Debby made landfall as a Category One hurricane on Florida’s Gulf Coast earlier Monday.
A truck driver was killed after his 18-wheeler crashed into a canal in Hillsborough County, while a 38-year-old lady and 12-year-old boy perished in a car accident in Dixie County.
The storm entered Georgia overnight and is anticipated to move offshore before striking the South Carolina coast on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“This is a level four out of four risk for excessive rainfall,” Michael Brennan, director of the NHC, told reporters.
“This is going to result in a prolonged extreme rainfall event with potential for catastrophic flooding across coastal portions of Georgia, South Carolina, even extending up into North Carolina,” he added.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that some 250,000 residents in his state were without power.
“Please, be very cautious when you’re going out,” he said, adding that Debby’s winds had not been as damaging as previous hurricanes that have hit Florida.
President Joe Biden has approved emergency declarations for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, allowing for federal assistance in coordinating disaster relief efforts.
DeSantis also activated his state’s National Guard, with more than 3,000 service members mobilized to help with storm response.
Evacuation orders
As the storm raced into Georgia on Monday evening, the National Hurricane Center reported maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (75 kph).
Storm surge warnings, which indicate a life-threatening inundation from rising water, are in place in regions of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina.
Debby was projected to drop “potentially historic rainfall” of up to 30 inches as it traveled north, according to the National Hurricane Center.
However, it stated that the storm was weakening after making landfall earlier with sustained winds of 80 mph (130 kph) as a Category One hurricane, the lowest on a scale of five.
Mandatory evacuations were ordered for a portion of Citrus County, Florida, with many additional counties under voluntary evacuation orders, according to local media.
Before Debby arrived, the governors of Georgia and South Carolina proclaimed a state of emergency.
Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic contender in the US election, postponed events in North Carolina and Georgia this week due to the hurricane, according to local media sources citing her campaign team.
Meanwhile, the US Border Patrol reported that Debby had washed ashore 25 bags of cocaine worth around $1 million off the coast of the Florida Keys, where they were captured.
In July, at least 18 people were murdered when Hurricane Beryl ripped through the Caribbean before hitting the southern US states of Texas and Louisiana.
Scientists believe climate change contributes to the rapid strengthening of storms like Beryl because warmer oceans have more energy for them to feed on.