MIAMI: At least four people were killed as Tropical Storm Debby drenched Florida on Monday (Aug 5), threatening southeastern US states with heavy rainfall and catastrophic flooding.
A 13-year-old boy died when a tree was blown onto a mobile home in Levy County, the sheriff’s office there said, after Debby made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast earlier Monday as a Category One hurricane.
Authorities said a truck driver was killed after his 18-wheeler plunged into a canal in Hillsborough County, while a 38-year-old woman and 12-year-old boy died in a car crash in Dixie County.
The storm moved into Georgia overnight and is expected to go offshore before approaching the South Carolina coast on Thursday, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
“This is a level four out of four risk for excessive rainfall,” Michael Brennan, director of the NHC, told reporters.
“This is going to result in a prolonged extreme rainfall event with potential for catastrophic flooding across coastal portions of Georgia, South Carolina, even extending up into North Carolina,” he added.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said that some 250,000 residents in his state were without power.
“Please, be very cautious when you’re going out,” he said, adding that Debby’s winds had not been as damaging as previous hurricanes that have hit Florida.
President Joe Biden has approved emergency declarations for Florida and South Carolina, allowing for federal assistance in coordinating disaster relief efforts.
DeSantis also activated his state’s National Guard, with more than 3,000 service members mobilised to help with storm response.
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