Tropical Storm Debby has made a second landfall in South Carolina on its way up the East Coast, bringing heavy rain and the potential for flooding to residents as far north as Vermont. The National Hurricane Center reports that Debby came ashore early Thursday near Bulls Bay, South Carolina. The storm is projected to continue moving inland, spreading significant rainfall and potential flooding throughout the mid-Atlantic and Northeast by the weekend.
Debby initially made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Now downgraded to a tropical storm with maximum sustained winds of 50 mph (80 kph), Debby is still causing significant disruption. The hurricane center forecasts considerable flooding in parts of eastern South Carolina and southeast North Carolina through Friday, with an additional 3 to 9 inches (8 to 23 centimeters) of rain expected. Virginia is also under threat of significant rainfall.
Days of rain have prompted residents in South Carolina to assess the damage left behind by Debby, which continues spinning over the Atlantic Ocean. The storm’s influence extends from the East Coast to the Great Lakes. Survey teams from the National Weather Service’s office in Charleston confirmed four tornadoes related to Debby. Around 3 a.m. Thursday, an apparent tornado spawned from Debby’s outer bands as they blew through North Carolina, damaging at least four houses, a church, and a school in Wilson County east of Raleigh, according to county officials. Thankfully, no injuries were reported immediately. Forecasters predict Debby could bring more tornadoes Thursday in parts of North Carolina and Virginia.
The heavy rain has caused flooding, closing a major freeway along the East Coast. Interstate 95 near Fayetteville, North Carolina, was shut down before sunrise Thursday, and officials have not yet announced when that portion of the freeway connecting Florida to Maine will reopen.
In Huger, about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northeast of Charleston, Gene Taylor spent the afternoon waiting for a few inches of water to drain from his house along French Quarter Creek as the high tide receded. Taylor anticipated the potential for flooding last week and proactively moved belongings out of his home or placed them higher. This is a lesson learned from past experiences – Taylor estimates this is the fourth time he has dealt with floodwater in his home in the past nine years. “To save everything, we’ve learned from the past it’s better be prepared for the worst. And unfortunately, I think we got it,” Taylor said.
Just a few doors down, Charles Grainger was cleaning up after about 8 inches (20 centimeters) of water entered his home. “Eight inches disrupts your whole life,” Grainger said. “You don’t get used to it. You just grin and bear it. It’s part of living on the creek.”
In Georgia, authorities reported that at least four dams were breached northwest of Savannah in Bulloch County. Fortunately, no deaths have been reported. Corey Kemp, director of emergency management, stated that over 75 people were rescued from floodwaters in the county, and about 100 roads remain closed. “We’ve been faced with a lot of things we’ve never been faced with before,” Bulloch County Commission Chairman Roy Thompson said. “I’m 78-plus years old and have never seen anything like this before in Bulloch County. It’s amazing what has happened, and amazing what is going to continue to happen until all these waters get out of here.”
For residents on Tappan Zee Drive in suburban Pooler, west of Savannah, Georgia, the heavy rain brought by Debby felt like a painful déjà vu. In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew overflowed a nearby canal and flooded many of the same homes. Located roughly 30 miles (50 kilometers) inland from the Atlantic Ocean, with no creeks or rivers nearby, the neighborhood doesn’t appear to be a high-risk location for tropical flooding. However, residents report that drainage problems have plagued their street for well over a decade, despite local government efforts to resolve them.
Debby’s influence extended far beyond the Southeast, dumping rain on communities all the way up to the Great Lakes and New York and New Jersey. Moisture from the tropical storm strengthened another system Tuesday evening, causing strong thunderstorms, according to weather service meteorologist Scott Kleebauer. “We had a multi-round period of showers and thunderstorms that kind of scooted from Michigan eastward,” Kleebauer said. As much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) of rain fell in parts of New Jersey in less than four hours. Emergency officials in New York City warned of potential flash flooding, deploying drones with loudspeakers in some neighborhoods to alert people in basement apartments to be prepared to evacuate at a moment’s notice. Multiple water rescues were reported in and near the city.
As of Thursday morning, approximately 270,000 customers remained without power in Ohio, according to PowerOutage.us, following severe storms, including two confirmed tornadoes. Utility officials with FirstEnergy’s Illuminating Company announced via social media that power restoration would take several days due to the extent of the damage.
In South Carolina, Gov. Henry McMaster reported that his state was just entering Act 2 of a three-act play, following damage to over 60 homes, but with roads and water systems largely intact. The final act could arrive next week if enough rain falls upstream in North Carolina to trigger major flooding along rivers as they flow toward the Atlantic Ocean. States of emergency have been declared for both North Carolina and Virginia. Maryland has issued a state of preparedness declaration to coordinate preparations without declaring an emergency.
At least six people have died as a result of the storm, five of them in traffic accidents or due to fallen trees. The sixth death involved a 48-year-old man in Gulfport, Florida, whose body was recovered after his anchored sailboat partially sank.
