Tropical Storm Debby: South Carolina hit with over a foot of rain as Florida contends with deadly hazards
At least five people are dead amid devastating rain and flooding from Tropical Storm Debby
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Tropical Storm Debby slowed over South Carolina Tuesday, bringing over a foot of rain and heavy flooding to the region as Florida reeled from the deadly after-effects of the storm.
Debby, which was downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane, crossed the Florida-Georgia border late Monday. Green Pond, South Carolina recorded more than 14 inches of rainfall on Tuesday as the storm hovered off the state’s coast.
Meanwhile, tornadoes wreaked havoc on the state. One tornado wiped out power lines and damaged homes on Edisto Beach, while another likely tornado caused damage on Isle of Palms, the South Carolina Daily Gazette reported.
Florida is also reeling from Debby. “Deadly” hazards remained a threat to Sunshine State residents on Tuesday, the National Weather Service said. The dangers included downed power lines, continued flooding and heat stroke amid widespread power outages.
Florida officials are also warning residents to properly ventilate rooms with generators to avoid deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.
At least five people have been killed by the storm, which is expected to strengthen while hovering off the South Carolina coast on Wednesday, the National Weather Service said.
Mapped: Tracking Tropical Storm Debby as it makes landfall in Florida
Tropical Storm Debby could prove just as dangerous as a major hurricane
Tropical Storm Debby is expected to send flooding to the Southeast. Here's how much rain could fall
Thousands of flights disrupted after Storm Debby batters Florida
‘Deadly’ hazards remain in Florida after Debby
While Tropical Storm Debby has left Florida, “deadly” hazards remain a threat to Sunshine State residents, the National Weather Service said.
These threats include downed power lines, continued flooding and the possibility of heat stroke amid widespread power outages. Officials are also warning residents to properly ventilate rooms with generators to avoid deadly carbon monoxide poisoning.
Debby has left more than 100,000 customers without power in Florida as of Tuesday morning, according to PowerOutage.us.
At least four people have died in Florida due to Debby. A 64-year-old truck driver died when his vehicle flipped over on Florida’s I-75, local outlet Fox 13 reports. In Dixie County, a 38-year-old woman and 12-year-old boy were killed when their car crashed into a guardrail on Sunday night, local outlet WCTV reports.
A 13-year-old boy also died in Fanning Springs, Florida after a tree crashed into his mobile home on Monday morning.
Florida officials have also activated their Small Business Emergency Loan Bridge Program, which provides funds to ensure organizations can make repairs and keep employees on payroll as they reckon with Debby, Governor Ron DeSantis said on Tuesday morning.
Tropical Storm Debby to remain over South Carolina for two days
Tropical Storm Debby will hover off the coast of South Carolina through Thursday, the National Weather Service said.
The slow-moving storm will likely bring “historic heavy rainfall” and “catastrophic” flooding to the Carolinas, according to the NWS.
Debby is forecasted to move up the East Coast this week. The storm could hit as far north as Maine by Sunday.
Scams run rampant as Florida contends with Debby
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis warned about storm clean-up organizations that may be scamming local residents.
“You cannot remove the debris yourself, you cannot get that tree,” DeSantis said on Tuesday morning. “Please call our crisis cleanup hotline. We will match you up with a volunteer agency who will come and do that for free.”
“Volunteer organizations are free,” DeSantis continued. “They will never ask you for money. If somebody is asking you for money, there's probably a better than 90% chance that is a scam. You need to report them to the Attorney General.”
The state’s chief financial officer, Jimmy Patronis, warned about a specific type of insurance scam called “direction of payments.” In this scheme, scammers will convince victims to redirect claims from storm damage from their insurance company to them.
“Whatever you do, do not sign anything, I repeat myself, do not sign anything, you could be giving your claim away to a total stranger,” Patronis said, according to local outlet News4Jax.
Tropical Storm Debby could prove just as dangerous as a major hurricane
Tropical Storm Debby came ashore in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane Monday and quickly downgraded, but the storm still poses serious threats as it slogs on toward Georgia and South Carolina.
Tropical storms can be deadlier than some of the strongest hurricanes. In Debby’s case, the storm was expected to slow to a crawl and dump up to 30 inches (76 centimetres) of rain over several days along coastal Georgia and South Carolina. Winds won’t be the biggest danger, making the storm’s category far less important than the potential for catastrophic flooding.
The Saffir-Simpson Scale measures only the strength of a hurricane’s winds from Category 1 to Category 5, the strongest. The circumference of a storm, how fast it’s moving, the amount of rain it delivers, storm surge and high tides are all other factors that matter.
Read more:
Tropical Storm Debby could prove just as dangerous as a major hurricane
Tropical Storm Debby came ashore in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane and quickly downgraded, but the storm still poses serious threats as it slogs on toward Georgia and South Carolina
Thousands of flights disrupted after Storm Debby batters Florida
Storm Debby made landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane, packing winds of 80mph.
Debby, which has now been downgraded to a tropical storm, has left devastation in its wake after thrashing parts of Florida on Monday, leaving at least five dead, thousands without power and risks of flooding.
While flight cancellations have reduced as of Tuesday, the storm, which is now sustaining winds of up to 45mph, is moving toward Georgia and South Carolina, where flight disruptions in those states have been slowly climbing as they prepare for the storm to hit.
Read more from The Independent:
Thousands of flights disrupted after Storm Debby batters Florida
South Carolina and Georgia are experiencing flight distruptions after thousands were cancelled as a result of the extreme weather in Florida
South Carolina sees more than a foot of rain
Green Pond, South Carolina recorded more than 14 inches of rainfall on Tuesday as Tropical Storm Debby hovers off the coast of South Carolina.
The slow-moving storm will likely bring “historic heavy rainfall” and “catastrophic” flooding as it blows through the southeast US, according to the NWS.
Meanwhile, Rincon, Georgia recorded the highest rainfall in the state with just over 11 inches on Tuesday.
Tornadoes threaten South Carolina
Tornadoes hit South Carolina last night as Tropical Storm Debby brings high winds to the state.
A tornado wiped out power lines and damaged homes on Edisto Beach, while another likely tornado caused damage on Isle of Palms, the South Carolina Daily Gazette reports.
While the tornadoes have caused significant property damage, no injuries or deaths have been reported in South Carolina as of Tuesday.
More than 11,000 people in South Carolina are without power as of Tuesday afternoon, according to PowerOutage.us. The tornado threat will continue through Wednesday.
Tropical Storm Debby washes $1m haul of cocaine onto beach in Florida Keys
Tropical Storm Debby has washed up a haul of cocaine worth an estimated $1m onto a beach in the Florida Keys.
A spokesperson from the Customs and Border Protection confirmed to The Independent that 25 packages of the narcotic were discovered in Islamorada, Monroe County, by a good samaritan.
The drugs were allegedly blown onto the beach as Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, causing at least five deaths and widespread damage across the region before charting a path across the southeastern states.
Read more:
Tropical Storm Debby washes $1m haul of cocaine onto beach in Florida Keys
Hurricane-force winds blew 25 packages of the Schedule II narcotic onto shore in Monroe County
Watch: Experts say public should leave sea turtles alone after Tropical Storm Debby stranded them on beaches
See it: Tropical Storm Debby swirls through southeast US
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