Tropical Storm Debby soaked coastal towns in Georgia and South Carolina on Tuesday, spawning tornadoes and leaving streets in waist-deep water, just the start of a long storm that could dump up to 25 inches (64 centimeters) of rain.
Charleston and Savannah, Georgia, were the first to be hit, where up to a foot (30 centimeters) of rain fell on the coast between the two cities in less than 24 hours. Police closed all roads on Charleston’s downtown peninsula except for essential workers and emergency personnel. Dozens of streets in the historic city were closed because of flooding, which occurs several times a year because of rising sea levels.
As Hurricane Debby moves near the coast, heavy rain is expected to move northward into parts of South and North Carolina, where flooding has already cost $2 billion over eight years.
In one area of Savannah, firefighters used boats to evacuate some residents and waded through floodwaters to deliver bottled water and other supplies to those who refused to leave.
Michael Jones said water rushed into his home Monday evening, flipping the refrigerator and sending furniture floating. Outside, water was everywhere and it was too difficult to escape safely. So Jones spent the night on his kitchen table before firefighters arrived Tuesday morning, going door-to-door in a boat.
“The whole night was like hell,” Jones said, adding, “It was a struggle, but God is good.”
In Charleston, Mayor William Cogswell said road closures prevented unnecessary damage to businesses and homes and avoided the need for rescue operations during high water levels.
“We especially don’t want any yahoos going through the water and damaging property,” Cogswell said.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Debby was not yet as bad as feared, but he warned the slow-moving storm was not over yet.
It will be a worrisome few days for northern South Carolina and southern North Carolina, where forecasters warned of up to 15 inches (38 centimeters) of rain. That total is close to what was seen during the historic flooding from Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Two years later, many of those records were broken during Hurricane Florence. Both storms killed dozens of people.
Both North Carolina and Virginia have declared states of emergency.
“Debby’s impacts are far-reaching, and our neighboring states are facing serious challenges,” Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin said.
Many areas along North Carolina’s coastline are vulnerable to flooding, such as Wilmington and the Outer Banks. Virginia may see strong winds, heavy rain and flooding.
According to a bulletin from the National Hurricane Center, on Tuesday night, Debby’s center was about 50 kilometers southeast of Savannah. Its maximum sustained winds were 65 km per hour and it was moving east-northeast at 6 km per hour.
The storm was forecast to slowly move out to sea, and then make a return to the South Carolina coast on Thursday morning.
“Tropical cyclones always produce heavy rainfall, but usually when they move through, you know it doesn’t accumulate so much in one place,” said Richard Pash of the hurricane center. “But when they move very slowly, that’s the worst case scenario.”
Forecasters said rain would decrease because of dry periods among the bands around the center of the poorly organized storm. But some bands would be heavy and keep moving over the same location.
The heaviest rainfall so far was recorded at Green Pond in rural Colleton County, South Carolina, at more than 14 inches (36 centimeters). A nearby dam overflowed but did not breach, while several roads were blocked by downed trees and floodwaters, county Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief David Green said.
Nearly a foot (30 centimeters) of rain fell down the coast from Charleston to Savannah, where the National Weather Service recorded 6.68 inches (17 centimeters) on Monday alone. That’s a month’s worth of rain in a single day: In August 2023, the city received 5.56 inches (14.1 centimeters).
The storm knocked down trees and damaged some homes on Kiawah Island and Edisto Island. In Moncks Corner, about 48 kilometers from Charleston, Walmart, Arby’s and other businesses were damaged and several vehicles were overturned.
Crooked Hammock Brewery in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, decided to close early on Tuesday.
“Flash flooding is very unpredictable and we want our staff and guests to stay safe at home,” marketing coordinator Georgina Dimitriadis said.
Farther north in New York City, meteorologists said heavy storms caused by Debby worsened the situation, leaving some streets and expressways flooded, stranding motorists. The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for the entire city until noon Wednesday.
Emergency officials flew drones with loudspeakers over some areas warning of possible flooding, and told people living in basement apartments to prepare to flee immediately.
Debby made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane.
At least six people have died as a result of the storm, five of them in traffic accidents or from fallen trees. The sixth death was a 48-year-old man in Gulfport, Florida, whose body was recovered after his boat partially sank, WTSP-TV reported.
Nearly 500 people were rescued from flooded homes in Sarasota, Florida, on Monday, police said. Just north of Sarasota, officials in Manatee County said more than 200 people were rescued.
Officials said it could take up to two weeks to fully assess the damage in parts of north-central Florida as they wait for rivers to peak.
“You will see a rise in the tributaries. That’s inevitable. How much? We’ll see,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said Tuesday. “There might not be a flood today and there might be a flood tomorrow.”
Georgia Governor Brian Kemp also warned of more rain and flooding, saying, “Don’t let this storm keep you up.”
More than 155,000 customers remained without power in Florida and Georgia on Tuesday morning, down from more than 350,000 previously, according to Poweroutage.us and Georgia Electric Membership Corp. More than 20,000 customers were without power in South Carolina on Tuesday morning.
President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations to provide federal disaster assistance to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Hurricane Debby is expected to finally pick up speed on Thursday (August 8), and could move across central North Carolina, through Virginia, and reach the Washington area by Saturday (August 10).