Eastern Coastal States Buckle Down for Tropical Storm Debby

The storm, which battered Florida on Monday morning, has caused heavy rains as far up as New York City – and it’s only just getting started. 

The Newest Chaos 

Hurricane Debby, the latest of the storms to hit the United States this year, slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast around 7 a.m. Monday morning. 

Quite Powerful 

Classified as a Category 1 Hurricane, the storm touched down near Steinhatchee, approximately 70 miles southeast of Tallahassee, as stated by the National Hurricane Center. 

Gearing up to Be a Big One? 

While tropical storm-force winds usually speed up to 39 mph at least, Debby’s maximum wind speeds are near 40 mph, along with higher gusts. 

Moving Up 

Hurricane Debby’s center point is nearly 30 miles southeast of Savannah, Georgia. 

And according to the National Hurricane Center, the storm was creeping in an east-northeast direction at about 3 mph by 11 p.m. Tuesday. 

Some Lost Their Lives 

Thus far, the storm has claimed the lives of at least six people.

Falling trees killed two children (a 12-year-old girl and a 13-year-old boy) in Levy County, according to officials and law enforcement. 

And near Valdosta, Georgia, a 19-year-old man lost his life when a tree smashed onto a porch. 

More Deaths Reported 

A truck driver died after he lost control of his 18-wheeler on Interstate 75 and crashed into the Tampa Bypass Canal. 

Additionally, a 38-year-old woman and her 12-year-old son were killed when turbulent weather caused their SUV to slam into Dixie County north of Tampa. 

Others Were Luckier 

As per a social media post by the Sarasota Police Department on Monday, around 500 people were evacuated from flooded homes in the popular beach city of Sarasota, Florida.

Literally Powerless 

As typical of hurricanes, Debby didn’t leave power lines untouched. According to Poweroutage.us, about 350,000 people in Florida were without electricity on Monday night.

A Huge Impact 

By Tuesday morning, the customer count lacking power was down to a little over 155,000 in Florida and Georgia.

Flight trackers also showed hundreds of flights to and from Floria airports had to be canceled.  

Heavy Downpours 

“Essentially we’ve had twice the amount of the rain that was predicted for us to have,” said Sarasota County Fire Chief David Rathbun.

Record-Breaking Rain? 

The claim of excessive rainfall was backed up by the hurricane center in Miami on Tuesday, which stated: “Debby is expected to produce potentially historic storm total rainfall of 10 to 20 inches, with maximum amounts of 25 inches, bringing areas of catastrophic flooding across portions of eastern South Carolina and southeast North Carolina through Friday.” 

Hitting the Coastal States 

Referring to more rain predicted, the hurricane center also added: “From central South Carolina to the Upstate of South Carolina, northward into Southwest Virginia, portions of the Mid-Atlantic States, western and northern New York State into Northern New England, 3 to 6 inches with local amounts to 8 inches, are expected through Saturday.”

Drowning a City? 

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson mentioned that thanks to the heavy downpours, the city could experience a “once in a thousand year” rain event, adding “This will literally create islands in the city.”

As Far as NY 

So powerful is Hurricane Debby that she even impacted New York City about seven states up. 

According to local meteorologists, the heavy rains currently splashing down onto New York are being worsened by the storm’s moisture, leading to localized street- and expressway flooding on Tuesday. 

Various flood-prone areas also trapped several motorists. 

Not Over Yet 

The entire New York City has been placed under a flood watch until noon Wednesday.

According to the National Weather Service, more downpours are expected in the city from Thursday until Saturday, thanks to the storm’s tropical moisture levels. 

Seems Familiar 

Although it’s still early after Debby’s impact, this tropical storm already shares many similarities with Hurricane Harvey, the storm that crashed into Corpus Christi, Texas, in August 2017. 

Major Costs 

As Harvey moved inland after being downgraded to a tropical storm, it lingered over Texas where it drenched the city of Houston with about 50 inches of rain, resulting in damages worth about $125 billion. 

Man-Made Storms

Climate scientists are still of the opinion that storms are becoming bigger and wreaking more destruction thanks to warming oceans, a result of burning fossil fuels.

Only Just Started 

But it doesn’t seem to be over yet, as weather predictions say more Atlantic hurricanes are expected for this year’s season, which kicked off on June 1st. 

A Bleak Outlook 

Should that happen, 2024’s storms would bypass 2005’s record-breaking storm season which saw Hurricanes Katrina and -Rita kill almost 2,000 people and cause damage across the Gulf Coast worth over $108 billion.

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