Tropical Storm Debby was lingering over coastal Georgia and the Carolinas on Wednesday, still dumping torrential rain in places before moving north.
The system has already stirred up tornadoes and submerged streets in waist-high floodwaters. The storm was forecast to move relatively slowly across Southern states, with huge rainfall totals possible in some areas.
The latest forecast says Debby could restrengthen over the Atlantic Ocean before its center moves inland again by late Wednesday or early Thursday. Debby made landfall on Florida’s Gulf Coast early Monday as a hurricane. At least six people have died.
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Frequent floods are part of life along the water
Gene Taylor was waiting for a few inches of water to drain back out of his home as high tide passed Wednesday afternoon at his home along French Quarter Creek, not far from the Cooper River in Huger and about 15 miles (24 kilometers) northeast of Charleston.
This is the fourth time his home’s been flooded in the past nine years, and he heeded the warnings this time, moving things up or out.
“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. “We got caught with our pants down in 2015. We waited, didn’t think the water was going to come up as quick. But it did, and it caught us. We couldn’t even get the vehicles out.”
A few doors down, Charles Granger was cleaning up after about 8 inches (20 centimeters) of water got into his home — a common annoyance now.
“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.”
Water levels are rising as Tropical Storm Debby’s rainfall drains out to sea. The National Weather Service in Charleston tweeted that the Canoochee River in Claxton, Georgia have neared 18 feet, surpassing previous flood record set in 1925.
South Carolina’s drama is still playing out
No deaths or injuries have been reported from Tropical Story Debby in South Carolina, but Gov. Henry McMaster said Wednesday that the state was just entering Act 2 of a three-act play.
“We’ve been lucky so far. Things have not been as bad as they could have been,” McMaster said of heavy rains Monday and Tuesday that caused flooding that damaged over 60 homes but did not cause significant problems to roads or water systems.
Act 2 is overnight into Thursday when Debby moves back onshore and heavy rain returns, this time to the northern part of the coast and inland. An additional 4 to 8 inches of rain could fall, said John Quagliariello, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Columbia.
“It may not be as catastrophic as what we were saying, but we still think as these rain bans develop they could sit over the same area for long periods of time, produce a lot of rainfall and a lot of flooding,” Quagliariello said.
The final act may come next week if enough rain falls upstream in North Carolina to cause major flooding along rivers as it flows to the Atlantic Ocean.
A dam could fail, threatening mobile homes
The “imminent failure” of a dam in southeast Georgia is threatening to swamp a mobile home park and other areas downstream, the National Weather Service said in a flash flood warning early Wednesday afternoon.
The Cypress Lake Dam is in Bulloch County, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northwest of Savannah.
“If the dam breaks, flash flooding will occur immediately downstream of the dam,” the weather service said.
The Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency posted photos and videos on social media showing torrents of water rushing through neighborhoods and surrounding homes. Local media reported that even more flooding would happen if the dam breaks.
Water ‘comes with the territory’ along the coast
The lunch crowd poured into the Brown Dog Deli in downtown Charleston after hunkering down in Tropical Storm Debby.
“We’ve got a lot of locals walking in after being cooped up for two days looking for a good meal,” said Liz Denney, kitchen manager for the deli, which sells an eclectic mix of sandwiches and sides like the Folly Beach Crunch Wrap with turkey, bacon, sea salt chips, honey mustard and guacamole.
The restaurant does flood, and a little water got around the sandbags employees put up Monday. But they have had worse flooding other times in the past year, Denney said.
The deli closed early Monday and couldn’t open Tuesday if they wanted to because of Charleston’s curfew. But Denney said the standing water and the occasional interruption is just part of living on the coast.
“It comes with the territory,” Denney said.
North Carolina deploys National Guard
North Carolinians should prepare for potentially severe flash floods and days of heavy rain, with up to 15 inches in the forecast before Tropical Storm Debby is done with the state, Gov. Roy Cooper said during a Wednesday news conference.
Debby’s center will likely cross over areas of southeastern North Carolina devastated by flooding from Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Florence in 2018, and while Debby doesn’t appear to pose as much of a threat, that could change as the storm moves north, he said.
While officials are paying close attention to southeastern North Carolina, the state’s Emergency Management director William Ray said people in western parts of the state also need to look out for flooding risks.
“All North Carolinians across our state need to be prepared for a deluge, more rain than most of us see in a month or several months,” Cooper said.
Voluntary evacuations are under way in some regions, and about 350 North Carolina National Guard soldiers have been deployed to assist in storm recovery, Cooper said. There are also 17 water rescue teams stationed at the ready in the eastern and central parts of North Carolina, Ray said.
Debby’s wider weather impacts
The National Weather Service says moisture from Debby has streamed far out from the center of the tropical storm and interacted with a weather front stretching from the Great Lakes to Long Island, N.Y.
Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with weather prediction center, said another weather disturbance moving out of the Great Lakes area combined with the other events to cause multiple rounds of showers and thunderstorms. It produced significant rainfall in many spots.
Nearly 340,000 customers were without power in Ohio, and parts of northern New Jersey saw 4 to 6 inches of rain in less than four hours on Tuesday. Lots of rain also fell just north of New York City, and there were multiple water rescues.
States prepare for disaster
Five states have made emergency declarations as Tropical Storm Debby slowly churns up the Atlantic coast and drenches communities in the southeastern U.S.
States of emergency have been declared by governors in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. Maryland also made a state of preparedness declaration that coordinates preparations for the storm without declaring a state of emergency.
Emergency declarations allow states to quickly respond to major storms and other disasters. The state’s response can include providing direct assistance to local communities in the form of supplies and equipment.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government has approved federal disaster assistance for Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, according to news releases from the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Torrential rain totals
A spot near Lake City in north Florida leads the nation in total rainfall from Tropical Storm Debby at a whopping 19.67 inches (50 centimeters), according to the latest totals from the national Weather Prediction Center. Sarasota, Florida — hard-hit by flooding after Debby came ashore as a hurricane — saw 17.78 inches (45 centimeters).
Several South Carolina communities are not far behind, with that state’s highest total of 17.27 inches (44 centimeters) near Summerville as rain continued in the Carolinas.
The storm totals are through late Wednesday morning.
Debby-enhanced storms soak New Jersey
Severe thunderstorms soaked most of New Jersey on Tuesday night, causing moderate flooding in many areas and leaving thousands without power.
More than 2 inches (5 centimeters) of rain fell in several areas, and as much as 6 inches (15 centimeters) was recorded in some southern Jersey communities. Forecasters said the storms were enhanced by moisture drifting up from Tropical Storm Debby. No injuries were reported.
The storms also caused local flooding of streets and expressways in New York City, stranding some motorists.
Charleston lifts curfew
Charleston, South Carolina, lifted its curfew for its downtown peninsula Wednesday morning, removing the barricades that blocked the eight roads and highways leading to the heart of the low-lying and historic city.
The curfew was in place for 32 hours. Officials said its goal of keeping unnecessary people out during the worst of the rains from Tropical Storm Debby worked. There were few, if any, high-water rescues, and calls to the fire department were no greater than a normally busy day.
The curfew cut down on hurricane parties, as bars and restaurants that normally remain open couldn’t bring in staff and police warned they would ticket anyone out unnecessarily. Health care employees and other essential workers were allowed into downtown.
The curfew was meant to protect property, too. Cars and trucks driving through floodwaters can create waves that crash over sandbags and other barriers.
Trash pickup was canceled for the entire week, and parking garages remain open for free until Friday so people can park their cars above ground level.
National Hurricane Center’s late
st advisory
The center of Tropical Storm Debby is over the Atlantic Ocean, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of Charleston, South Carolina, the National Hurricane Center said in its 8 a.m. Wednesday advisory.
The storm has maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (72 kph) with higher gusts and is moving slowly northeastward at 4 kph (6 kph). A major flood threat continues for parts of the Carolinas, the center said.
Winds of tropical storm force, or at least 39 mph (62 kph), extend outward up to 175 miles (280 kilometers) from the center.
Debby is expected to turn toward the north-northwest Wednesday and bring its center to the South Carolina coast by the evening or early Thursday, forecasters said. Some strengthening is possible before it reaches land again.
The storm is expected to pick up forward speed as it spins up the Atlantic coast on Thursday and Friday and merges with a frontal boundary, forecasters said.
Debby causes aviation disruptions
Aviation disruptions are getting worse after thunderstorms that are being enhanced by Debby hit the New York City area, with cancellations and delayed flights at all three of the region’s major airports.
LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy International and Newark Liberty International all endured ground stops Tuesday due to the storms, the Federal Aviation Administration reported.
More than a third of departures and nearly a third of arrivals from LaGuardia were canceled, according to FlightAware.com.
Massive cancelations can leave planes and crews out of position, snowballing into even more problems in the coming days.
Many canceled flights were also reported at smaller airports in the Southeast, such as Myrtle Beach International Airport in South Carolina. More than 40 percent of flights scheduled to arrive there Tuesday were canceled, the website showed.
Heavy rains in New York City enhanced by Debby, forecasters say
In New York City, heavy rainstorms that local meteorologists said are being enhanced by moisture associated with Tropical Storm Debby caused localized flooding of streets and expressways Tuesday, leaving some motorists stuck in flood-prone areas.
The National Weather Service issued a flood watch until noon on Wednesday for the entire city.
New York City Emergency Management warned New Yorkers of the potential for flash flooding, deploying drones with loudspeakers in some neighborhoods to urge people living in basement apartments to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice.
The National Weather Service says more heavy rain is possible in New York from Thursday to Saturday with tropical moisture associated with Debby.
A sixth storm-related death has been reported
A sixth storm-related death has been reported.
A 48-year-old man in Gulfport, Florida, was reported missing Monday after his anchored sailboat was seen partially sunk with the man’s dog on it, WTSP-TV reported. Police confirmed on Tuesday that a body recovered was that of the missing man.
Brian Clough had anchored his sailboat about 50 feet (15 meters) from the shoreline, according to the Gulfport Police Department.
Authorities previously had reported four storm-related deaths in Florida and another in Georgia.
