Tropical Storm Debby swirls over Atlantic, still dumping rain on the Carolinas before moving north
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Tropical Storm Debby was swirling over coastal Georgia and Carolinas on Wednesday, its wide bands of rain swelling inland waterways before it slowly marches north.
Debby was expected to restrengthen a little and turn north toward the South Carolina coastline before its center makes a second landfall late Wednesday or early Thursday, weather officials said. The meandering storm — moving forward at just 4 mph (6 kph) Wednesday morning — has already drenched coastal cities in Georgia and South Carolina with more than a foot (30 centimeters) of rain in places, stirring up tornadoes and submerging streets with waist-high floodwaters.
But its core was surrounded by drier air and the worst rainfall was falling hundreds of miles to the north, into eastern North Carolina before spreading into southeast Virginia. Both declared a state of emergency. Forecasters warned 5 inches (13 centimeters) of rain could fall from South Carolina to Vermont through this weekend.
The area of most concern Wednesday was in southeastern North Carolina, where Hurricane Matthew caused a historic billion-dollar flood in 2016. Two years later, many of those records were broken during Hurricane Florence. Both storms killed dozens.
The National Weather Service warned up to 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain could fall west of Wilmington, North Carolina, in areas that already saw heavy rains overnight.
Charleston and Savannah, Georgia, were deluged Monday and Tuesday, and Charleston imposed a curfew in its downtown peninsula that lasted 32 hours before it was lifted Wednesday. Dozens of roads were closed because of flooding similar to what the city sees several times a year now because of rising sea levels.
Charleston Mayor Williams Cogswell said the closures avoided the need for water rescues and kept “yahoos” from damaging properties by driving through flooded streets and pushing water over sandbags.
In one Savannah neighborhood, firefighters used boats to evacuate some residents and waded through floodwaters to deliver bottled water and other supplies to those who refused to leave.
Michael Jones said water gushed into his home Monday evening, overturning the refrigerator and causing furniture to float. Outside, the water seemed to be everywhere and was too deep to flee safely. So Jones spent a sleepless night on his kitchen table before firefighters going door to door showed up in a boat Tuesday morning.
“It was hell all night,” Jones said.
Debby’s center was about 90 miles (145 kilometers) east of Savannah on Wednesday morning, according to a bulletin from the National Hurricane Center. It had maximum sustained winds of 45 mph (73 kph).
“Tropical cyclones always produce heavy rain, but normally as they’re moving, you know, it doesn’t accumulate that much in one place,” said Richard Pasch, of the hurricane center. “But when they move very slowly, that’s the worst situation.”
Green Pond in rural Colleton County, South Carolina, reported the most rain so far, just over 14 inches (36 centimeters). A nearby dam had water run over its top but did not crumble, while trees and washouts blocked a number of roads, county Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief David Greene said.
Floodwaters remained in Colleton County Wednesday morning where police officers kept watch on barricades blocking roads where stately trees were reflected in the standing water.
Tornadoes knocked down trees and damaged a few homes on Kiawah Island and Edisto Island.
Crooked Hammock Brewery in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, closed early on Tuesday.
“Flash flooding is super unpredictable, and we’d rather our staff and guests be home and safe,” marketing coordinator Georgena Dimitriadis said.
Far to the north in New York City, heavy storms that meteorologists said were being enhanced by Debby flooded some streets and expressways, stranding motorists. The weather service issued a flood watch until noon Wednesday for the entire city.
Emergency officials warned of potential flash flooding, flying drones with loudspeakers in some New York City neighborhoods to tell people in basement apartments to be ready to flee at a moment’s notice.
Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday along the Gulf Coast of Florida.
At least six people have died due to the storm, five of them in traffic accidents or from fallen trees. The sixth death involved a 48-year-old man in Gulfport, Florida, whose body was recovered after his anchored sailboat partially sank, WTSP-TV reported.
President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations making federal disaster assistance available to Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas.
Debby is finally forecast to pick up speed Thursday before weakening inland as the weather moves north over North Carolina and Virginia into the Washington area by Saturday.
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Collins reported from Columbia, South Carolina. Contributors include Jeff Martin and Sudhin Thanawala in Atlanta; Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Kate Payne in Tallahassee, Florida; and Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia; Susan Haigh in Hartford, Connecticut; Lisa Baumann in Bellingham, Washington; and freelance photographer Stephen B. Morton in Savannah, Georgia.