The White House confirmed Sunday that President Biden has approved an emergency declaration for Florida as Tropical Storm Debby heads toward the state.
The White House said the president’s action will free up federal resources and authorize the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts.
Debby was expected to become a hurricane on its way through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, threatening devastating flooding later in the week.
The storm will likely become a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall in Florida’s Big Bend region on Monday, according to the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
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President Biden spoke to reporters before boarding Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House on Aug. 2, 2024. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
Flooding effects could last through Friday and are expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia, Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina.
In an update posted at 11 a.m. Sunday, the Hurricane Center said Debbie was located about 130 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Fla., and about 160 miles south-southwest of Cedar Key, Fla. The storm is moving north-northwest at 13 mph, with maximum sustained winds increasing to 65 mph from 50 mph just a few hours ago.
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“I want to urge all Floridians to be aware of the fact that a hurricane is going to hit our state, most likely a Category 1, but possibly a little bit stronger than that,” Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said at a press conference Sunday morning.
“But we’re definitely going to get a lot of rain, a lot of water saturation, we’re going to see flooding,” he said. “We’re going to see power outages.”
This satellite image provided by NOAA shows Tropical Storm Debby moving through the Gulf of Mexico towards Florida on August 4, 2024. (Associated Press via NOAA)
DeSantis said for the first time, public utilities are installing flood protection devices to minimize the risk of power outages caused by flooding.
The National Hurricane Center predicts the storm will intensify as it curves off the southwest Florida coast, where waters are extremely warm.
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Governor DeSantis has declared a state of emergency in 61 of Florida’s 67 counties and activated 3,000 National Guard troops.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
