‘Catastrophic’ Flooding from Debby Causes Five States To Declare State of Emergency Across the Southeast US
by Emmitt Barry, Worthy News Correspondent
(Worthy News) – Five states declared a state of emergency in response to Tropical Storm Debby, which brought record-setting rain to some of America’s most historic Southern cities. The storm was expected to cause prolonged downpours and flooding throughout Tuesday, prompting the rescue of hundreds from flooded homes.
Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, and Virginia have declared a state of emergency as the slow-moving storm continues to dump record-setting rain. The storm, which killed at least five people on Monday, is causing flash flooding, with up to 30 inches possible in some areas, according to the National Hurricane Center.
According to the 5 p.m. update from the National Hurricane Center, Tropical Storm Debby is located about 10 miles east of Savannah, Georgia, with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph. The storm is now moving even slower at 3 mph, roughly the walking speed of a human, which could worsen potential rainfall and flooding.
“The center of Debby is expected to move offshore the coast of Georgia and South Carolina later today and tonight, continue to drift offshore through early Thursday, and then move inland over South Carolina on Thursday morning,” the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory this evening.
Flash flood warnings were issued for Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, along with other coastal areas. Both cities announced curfews from Monday night into Tuesday. Charleston County Interim Emergency Director Ben Webster described Debby as a “historic and potentially unprecedented event” three times during a brief 90-second update on Monday.
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