(WGHP) — Hurricane Debby, which made landfall as a category 1 storm, has been downgraded to a tropical storm after reaching land near Steinhatchee, Florida Monday morning.
So far, Debby has brought a life-threatening storm surge along the Big Bend of Florida’s Gulf coastline, heavy rain and wind gusts as high as 80 mph. Thousands of customers are without electricity, and the numbers continue to rise.
Heavy rain started to flood streets along the coast Sunday night, prompting high-water rescues in Clearwater and St. Petersburg. Florida Governor Ron Desantis says the state is ready for additional rescues if needed with hundreds of crews, National Guardsman and the Coast Guard on standby.
Forecasters expect Debby to drop more than a foot of rain across parts of the southeast this week, and they warn communities could be dealing with the aftermath of this storm for days.
Historical flooding is possible in Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina.
Nearby states have offered assistance in several ways.
On Sunday, two members from the Piedmont Triad chapter of the American Red Cross drove an emergency response vehicle to Alabama to help those affected by Debby. On Monday, North Carolina’s State Emergency Operations moved to Enhanced Watch Status to begin coordinating response operations. Over the weekend, Governor of South Carolina Henry McMaster signed an executive order placing the National Guard on state duty to support Florida.
