Hurricane Debbie made landfall on Florida’s Big Bend coast on Monday morning, killing at least four people and leaving about 300,000 people without power, according to local reports.
Debby, which was downgraded to a tropical storm after wreaking havoc in northern Florida for more than three hours as a Category 1 hurricane, recorded maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. stated.
High winds and rain downed power lines, caused flooding, uprooted trees and killed a 13-year-old boy in Levy County.
Levy County Sheriff’s Office Said Police responded around 8 a.m. to a report of a tree falling on a mobile home in Fanning Springs and found a teenage boy “crushed inside the home.”
The statement noted that no other injuries were reported.
“Sheriff [Bobby] “McCallum went directly to the scene and is with the family,” the sheriff’s office said. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family as they deal with this tragedy, and we urge everyone to use extreme caution as we begin to assess the damage and clean up.”
“There are many dangers including downed power lines and falling trees. Lives may be lost. Please stay safe,” police added.
A 38-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy were killed in a single-vehicle accident in Dixie County Sunday night, just before Debby made landfall. USA Today report.
Witnesses reportedly told the Florida Highway Patrol that the victim’s vehicle lost control “due to bad weather and wet roads.”
A 14-year-old boy was also taken to hospital from the scene with “serious injuries,” police said. UPI.
Another driver was killed early Monday when he was traveling south on I-75 when he struck a barrier and the cab of his tractor-trailer fell into the rising Tampa Bypass Canal, the outlet reported.
According to the tracker Power OutA staggering 243,359 Florida homes are without power, including nearly every resident in Jefferson, Madison, Taylor and Suwannee counties.
An additional 25,726 customers were affected in southern Georgia.
“This is a life-threatening situation,” the NHC said.
Forecasters added that Debby is expected to move across northern Florida before dumping “potentially the heaviest rainfall on record” on coastal areas of Georgia and South Carolina.
Tropical cyclone #Debbie Heavy rain expected along South Carolina coast ⚠️🌊
The NHC warned of historic flooding possible in South Carolina, and severe flooding in Georgia and North Carolina.
Radar shows heavy rain (yellow) moving into Georgia. pic.twitter.com/OSdPNTwgCR
— Zoom Earth (@zoom_earth) August 5, 2024
“My fence just fell down,” a Florida woman wrote on X, along with a video of a gust of wind sweeping through her yard just before 10 a.m.
The fence has broken.
Florida is strong. Hurricane Debbie
#Hurricane #Steinhatchee pic.twitter.com/8Gr4WNxmvp
— Sassafras 84 (@Sassafrass_84) August 5, 2024
Another woman in St. Petersburg posted shocking before-and-after comparison images, showing how a small stream had turned into a river.
Here’s the same bridge 12 hours apart: A daytime view from inside the park, and a nighttime view from the street looking at the flooded park.#HurricaneDebby #St.Pete #Florida #flood pic.twitter.com/QyaTXnRDQt
— Bria Burton (@briaburton) August 5, 2024
Spectrum Bay News 9’s Fadia Maite Patterson shared video of fish washed up on flooded property and roads in the Dana Shores neighborhood near Tampa Bay International Airport.
In the aftermath of the flooding, roads were flooded and fish washed up along Dana Shores and Rocky Shores Drive. #Debbie . BN9 #StormWatch pic.twitter.com/KwA1HOVotQ
— Fadia Maite Patterson, MS (@FadiaTVNews) August 5, 2024
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) promised voters that power line crews would work “around the clock.”
Thank you to all of our utility line crews in Florida and beyond who are gearing up to respond to Tropical Storm Debby. They will be working around the clock, weather permitting, to restore power to you quickly and safely.
If there’s a power outage…
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) August 4, 2024
“Thank you to all of the utility line crews up and down the state of Florida who are gearing up to respond to Tropical Storm Debby. They are working around the clock to quickly and safely restore your power as soon as weather allows,” Gov. DeSantis said in a post on X Sunday night.
“If you lose power, stay safe by running a portable generator outdoors on a flat, dry surface at least 20 feet away from your home,” he added.
