Tropical Storm Debby continued its slow progression into Georgia on Monday night, prompting forecasters to warn residents across the southeastern United States about the prolonged threat of severe flooding over the coming days.
The storm has already unleashed heavy rainfall across northern Florida, resulting in four deaths, severe river flooding, and numerous water rescues, NY Times reported.
In southern Georgia, a 19-year-old man tragically lost his life due to a falling tree in the storm.
Forecasters and officials expressed significant concern over the storm's slow movement, which could lead to extensive rainfall across the region.
Predictions indicate that areas in South Carolina could see up to 30 inches of rain.
"This is a lot of water coming our way," stated Charleston Mayor William Cogswell, anticipating up to a foot of rain overnight.
"We need to take it very, very seriously," he added.
Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane with sustained winds of 80 mph at Steinhatchee, a small village on Florida's sparsely populated Big Bend coastline.
The storm is expected to move through Georgia and South Carolina before returning to sea, where it could gather additional moisture and potentially make a second landfall in North Carolina later this week.
While coastal storm surges are receding, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who declared a state of emergency for 61 counties, warned of continued flooding from rain and rising rivers. In Sarasota, a city in Florida, approximately 500 residents were evacuated as Phillippi Creek overflowed.
Manatee County, FL, has reported 58 water rescues, resulting in 207 people being brought to safety, county officials announced.
"We are facing an unprecedented weather event with Hurricane Debby," Manatee County's public safety director Jodie Fiske said in a statement.
"The safety of our residents is our top priority, and we are doing everything in our power to respond effectively to this crisis. I commend the heroic efforts of our emergency responders and the resilience of our community during this challenging time."
The Hurricane Center predicts a storm surge of up to four feet along the Georgia and Carolina coasts by midweek as Debby moves offshore.
Governors in these states have declared emergencies, and officials in cities such as Savannah, GA, and Charleston, SC, have imposed curfews to keep residents off flooded streets overnight.
Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season. The season is expected to see 17 to 25 named storms before ending in late fall. The storm has also led to widespread power outages. More than 140,000 customers were without power in Florida and Georgia, according to the tracking website poweroutage.us.
In July, Hurricane Beryl became the earliest recorded Category 5 hurricane, later striking Texas as a Category 1 storm, causing at least 23 deaths and widespread power outages.
