Hurricane Debby made landfall in the Big Bend Coast of Florida before downgrading to a tropical storm and taking aim at Georgia and South Carolina.
Hurricane Debby has made landfall on the Florida coast, inundating streets, killing at least four people and threatening to bring historic rainfall to surrounding US states.
Debby smashed ashore in Steinhatchee on the Big Bend Coast at 7am on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane with winds reaching 80mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.
‘This is a life-threatening situation,’ stated the hurricane center.
A 13-year-old boy was ‘crushed inside a home’ by a fallen tree in Fanning Springs around 8am, according to the Levy County Sheriff’s Office. His mobile home was roughly 35 miles east of where Debby made landfall as the fourth storm system of the Atlantic hurricane season.
‘Our thoughts and prayers are with this family as they deal with this tragedy,’ stated the sheriff’s office. ‘Downed power lines and falling trees are among the many hazards. One life is too many. Please be safe.’
Around 2.30am on Monday, a 64-year-old Mississippi man driving an 18-wheeler lorry lost control and died as the semitruck struck a concrete barrier wall, said the Florida Highway Patrol.
Overnight, two people including a 12-year-old boy and a 38-year-old woman died in a single-vehicle crash on US 19 in Dixie County as the car lost control with ‘inclement weather and wet roadway’ ahead of Debby, stated highway patrol.
Debby was downgraded to a tropical storm with 70mph sustained winds after three hours barreling through the northern part of the state along the Gulf Coast, said the hurricane center.
The system knocked out power to over 300,000 residents and over 1,600 flights to the region were canceled.
At 11am, Debby was 35 miles west of Lake City and heading northeast at 8mph, said the hurricane center.
Horseshoe Beach in southern Dixie County was pummeled with a gust recorded at 98mph, according to the Florida Severe Weather Network.
Debby’s high winds could cause tornadoes, some forecasters said, and storm surge could get up to 10 feet.
Debby is forecast to move through northern Florida slowly, with rainfall totals estimated at 10 to 20 inches.
Major flooding is projected in three areas of the Santa Fe River and the Suwannee River in northern Florida, per the National Water Prediction Service.
The storm is then predicted to bring ‘potentially historic heavy rainfall’ to the Georgia and South Carolina coasts. Some areas including the South Carolinian port city of Charleston could see up to 30 inches of rain this weekend, said the hurricane center’s director Michael Brennan.
Savannah, Georgia, is under a curfew from 10pm Monday to 6am Tuesday.
‘This is a once-in-a-thousand-year potential rainfall event,’ said Savannah City Manager Jay Melder.
Savannah Mayor Van R Johnson wrote on Facebook: ‘If you don’t have to be in these Savannah streets tonight – don’t – for your safety and for the safety of our emergency responders
Debby is projected to reach northern Florida and southern Georgia on Monday and Tuesday and arrive in the Georgia coast on Tuesday night.
How far north Debby will move remains to be seen, with one model showing rainfall will mostly be in the south, but another mo0del showing rain and a cold front reaching the northeast on Friday and Saturday.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has declared a state of emergency covering 61 counties and mobilized 3,000 National Guard members.
President Joe Biden on Sunday declared a state of emergency for Florida and authorized the Federal Emergency Management Agency to provide disaster relief.
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