The storm made landfall near Steinhatchee on the Gulf Coast with winds of 80 miles per hour. The National Hurricane Center is warning of torrential rains.
Debby made landfall at 7 a.m. Monday in Florida’s Big Bend region as a Category 1 hurricane, and although it has already been downgraded to a tropical storm, the National Hurricane Center is warning of torrential rains and catastrophic flooding as it slowly moves through the northern part of the state before stopping in the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina.
The hurricane made landfall as a Category 1 near Steinhatchee, a small community in northern Florida with fewer than 1,000 residents on the Gulf Coast. It was packing maximum sustained winds of 80 miles per hour and was moving northeast at 10 miles per hour, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
At 11 a.m., the National Hurricane Center downgraded winds to 70 miles per hour, thus downgrading Debby to a tropical storm that will continue to weaken in the coming hours.
Local authorities reported the death of the driver of a truck that fell into a Tampa canal early this morning after losing control of his vehicle during heavy rain. The Levy County Sheriff’s Office in Florida reported that a 13-year-old boy died when a tree fell on his mobile home. Authorities responded to the home at 8 a.m. and found the boy "crushed inside the house." No other injuries were reported.
Two people were also killed in a car crash in Dixie County, Florida, late Sunday night, including a 12-year-old boy, bringing Debby’s death toll to at least four.
The storm made landfall in one of Florida’s least populated areas, but forecasters warned that heavy rains could lead to catastrophic flooding in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia. Nearly 214,000 customers were without power in Florida on Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.com. A tornado watch has been issued for parts of Florida and Georgia on Monday.
“Right now, we’re just trying to make sure everything doesn’t go to waste,” said Sheryl Horne, whose family owns Shell Island Fish Camp along the Wakulla River in St. Marks, Florida, where some clients moved their boats inland.
The sparsely populated Big Bend region of Florida was also hit last year by Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane. “I’m used to storms and I’m used to cleaning up after storms,” she added.
The National Weather Service in Tallahassee said Monday morning that heavy flooding was the biggest concern in the Big Bend regions, with storm surge likely in Apalachee Bay.
In Marion County, which is inland and south of Gainesville, the Sheriff’s Office said on Facebook that it was responding to reports of downed power lines and trees toppled over roads and homes Monday.
Images posted on social media by Cedar Key Fire Rescue early Monday showed floodwaters rising along streets in the town, located south of where the storm made landfall.
Debby is forecast to move eastward over northern Florida and then stall over coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina, lashing the region with possible record rainfall totaling up to 30 inches beginning Tuesday.
Authorities also warned of a potentially life-threatening storm surge along Florida’s Gulf Coast, with flooding of six to 10 feet expected Monday between the Ochlockonee and Suwannee rivers.
“There are really staggering rainfall totals forecast in a bad way,” Michael Brennan, director of the hurricane center, said at a briefing. “This would be record rainfall associated with a tropical cyclone for the states of Georgia and South Carolina if we were to get to the 30-inch level,” he added.
Flooding could last through Friday and is expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. North Carolina officials were monitoring the storm’s progress.
Officials in Savannah said the area could see a month’s worth of rain in just four days, if the system stalls over the region. “This is going to be a significant storm,” Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson said at a news briefing.
Debby’s outer bands brushed Florida’s west coast, flooding streets and causing power outages. Sarasota County officials said most roads on Siesta Key, a barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, were under water.
At a briefing Sunday afternoon, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that the storm could lead to “really significant flooding that will occur in north central Florida.”
The storm could have a similar track to Hurricane Idalia, but would be “a lot wetter. We’re going to see a lot more flooding,” he said.
Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June. In the eastern Pacific, Tropical Storms Carlotta, Daniel and Emilia churned over the ocean but did not threaten to make landfall.
Residents and businesses prepare
Residents of Steinhatchee, Florida, which flooded during Hurricane Idalia, spent Sunday moving items to higher ground in order to prepare for Debby.
“I’ve been here 29 years. This isn’t the first time I’ve done it. Do you get used to it? No,” Mark Reblin said as he pulled items out of the liquor store he owns.
Employees at Savannah Canoe and Kayak in Georgia said they were busy tying down their boats, placing sandbags and lifting equipment off the ground. Mayme Bouy, the store manager, said she wasn’t too worried about the forecast for a possible historic rain event.
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“We have some high tides this week, so if it rains then, that could be bad,” Bouy added. “I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
Governors declared emergencies
DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 of Florida’s 67 counties, and the National Guard activated 3,000 troops. Utility crews from in and out of state were ready to restore power after the storm, they said in a post on the social media site X.
In Tampa alone, officials distributed more than 30,000 sandbags to make flood barricades.
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp and South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster made their own emergency declarations.
Emergency managers in New England and New York were monitoring the storm’s path for the possibility that remnants could hit their states. Northeastern states, including New York and Vermont, have been hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms in recent weeks and were still dealing with flooding and saturated ground.