Hurricane Debbie hits the Florida coast and is expected to bring catastrophic flooding

According to the National Weather Service, Tropical Storm Debbie strengthened to a Category 5 hurricane and made landfall on the Florida coast in the Big Bend area on the morning of August XNUMX, reports AP.

Photo: IStock

A state of emergency has already been declared in 61 of Florida's 67 counties, and storm warnings have been issued in some areas. On August 5-6, waves up to 10 meters high are possible. At Miami International Airport, 265 flights were canceled and more than 300 were delayed, both outbound and inbound, according to FlightAware.

Debbie is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, following Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris in June.

Forecasters warned that heavy rainfall from Debbie could cause catastrophic flooding in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia.

On the subject: This year's hurricane season will break several records: 25 named storms will hit the Atlantic

Debbie is expected to move east toward northern Florida and, beginning August 6, into coastal Georgia and South Carolina, dumping record rainfall amounts of up to 76 centimeters on the region.

Dangerous conditions are forecast along the Gulf Coast, with water levels likely to rise up to 3 feet by Tuesday between the Ochlockonee and Suwannee rivers.

“Record rainfall associated with a tropical cyclone is likely,” Michael Brennan, director of the hurricane center, said at a briefing.

The flooding may last until August 9. Precipitation is expected to be particularly heavy in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia, Hilton Head and Charleston, South Carolina. North Carolina authorities are monitoring developments.

Officials in Savannah said the area could receive a month's worth of rain in four days if the hurricane hits the region.

“This is going to be a big, some might even say historic, storm,” Savannah Mayor Van R. Johnson said during a news conference.

Hurricane Debbie has already hit the west coast of Florida, flooding streets and causing power outages. Sarasota County officials said most roads on Siesta Key, a barrier island off the coast of Sarasota, were underwater. The Hurricane Center says the storm will only get stronger.

At an Aug. 4 briefing, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned that the storm could cause "really significant flooding that is possible in north central Florida."

The storm will follow the same path as Hurricane Idalia, but will bring with it more flooding.

Tropical storms and hurricanes can cause rivers, drainage systems and canals to overflow. Forecasters warned of 15 to 30 centimeters of rainfall, with up to 46 centimeters in some areas of Florida.

Florida's Plains are prone to flooding even on sunny days, and the storm was forecast to bring up to 1,2 meters of water offshore along much of the Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, with a storm surge of up to 2,1 meters in the Big Bend area .

Forecasters warned of life-threatening flooding in the region, which includes Hernando Beach, Crystal River, Steinhatchee and Cedar Key. Officials in Citrus and Levy counties ordered mandatory evacuations in coastal areas, while Hernando, Manatee, Pasco and Taylor counties called for voluntary evacuations. Shelters have opened in these and some other counties.

Citrus Sheriff Mike Prendergast estimated there were 21 people living in his county's evacuation zone.

Residents of Steinhatchee, Florida, which was flooded during Hurricane Idalia, spent Sunday, August 4, moving their belongings to higher ground.

“I've lived here for 29 years. This isn’t the first time I’ve had to save property, but I still can’t get used to it,” Mark Reblin said as he removed goods from his liquor store.

Staff at Savannah Canoe and Kayak in Georgia were busy tying up their watercraft, stacking sandbags and moving equipment to safety.

Store manager Mame Bui admitted she wasn't too worried about the impending downpour: "But it's better to be safe than sorry."

DeSantis declared a state of emergency in 61 of Florida's 67 counties, and the National Guard activated 3000 of its guardsmen. As he wrote in a post on X, utility crews from across the state and even out of state are ready to restore power after the storm. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster also declared emergencies.

In Tampa alone, residents were given more than 30 sandbags to build temporary flood levees.

“We cleared our storm drains, checked all the generators and charged them. So we are doing everything necessary to be prepared for a tropical storm,” concluded Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.

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The northeast coast is also preparing for the storm.

Emergency officials in New England and New York have already tracked the storm's path to get an idea of ​​how hard the storm could hit their states. States like New York and Vermont have been hit by heavy rains in recent weeks and are still battling flooding and submerged soil.

Read also on ForumDaily:

Which states are most at risk from hurricanes in 2024?

Hurricane season 2024: a list of names and forecasts of storm activity in the Atlantic

America is threatened by powerful and destructive hurricanes the likes of which the world has never seen.

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