Debby floods Florida coast. At least four dead, 200,000 without power

Alex Harris
·3 min read

Tropical Storm Debby was nearly over the Georgia border Monday evening, leaving at least four dead and widespread flooding along Florida’s Gulf Coast, plus a punch of powerful wind and storm surge in Steinhatchee, where it made landfall Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane.

Debby quickly weakened to a tropical storm after making landfall, ahead of its expected path to the Carolinas, where the storm could bring up to 30 inches of rain and “catastrophic” flooding.

The broad, messy system packed less wallop than Category 3 Hurricane Idalia, which hit the same region last August. But it was still damaging and deadly.

Three drivers died as the storm made its way along Florida’s west coast over the weekend: A truck driver who lost control of his 18-wheeler and fell into the water below the road in Hillsborough County, a 38-year-old woman and 12-year-old who died after their car hydroplaned on storm-slick roads in Dixie County, and a 13-year-old boy in Fanning Springs who was killed Monday when a tree fell on a mobile home, the Levy County Sheriff’s Office said.

By 5 p.m., nearly 200,000 Florida customers remained without power, largely clustered in Taylor County, near where Debby came ashore. The numbers had already started to decline from a high of 270,000 earlier in the day.

A BMW sedan is stalled in high water on southbound US Alt 19 in Tarpon Springs where flooding remained on roadways on Monday, Aug 5, 2024, as Tropical Storm Debby passes the Tampa Bay area offshore.
A BMW sedan is stalled in high water on southbound US Alt 19 in Tarpon Springs where flooding remained on roadways on Monday, Aug 5, 2024, as Tropical Storm Debby passes the Tampa Bay area offshore.

Water levels surged six feet higher than normal at Cedar Key, and five feet above normal in the Steinhatchee River. Storm surge could be seen as far as a mile inland in Horseshoe Beach, and along the coast, reports show downed trees and eroded coastal roads.

A foot of rain fell on west coast cities like Bradenton from Saturday through Monday, with the highest total at 16 inches in Lakewood Ranch, south of Sarasota. Widespread flooding forced the closure of several main roads in the Tampa Bay area and beyond.

Tropical Storm Debby is expected to cause catastrophic flooding in the Carolinas.
Tropical Storm Debby is expected to cause catastrophic flooding in the Carolinas.

MORE: Tropical Storm Debby is causing delays at Florida airports. How to track flights

In a Monday morning news briefing, Gov. Ron DeSantis assured Floridians the state is prepared to help restore power and aid anyone in distress as soon as tropical storm winds die down.

“We have a lot of assets in place and we’re going to be there to help,” he said. “I think we have marshaled more resources than we need.”

For this storm, Florida debuted new flood barriers around electrical substations and critical infrastructure like hospitals. Kevin Guthrie, head of the state’s Department of Emergency Management, said they are working as planned so far.

A bench is submerged in water near the R.E. Olds Park on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Oldsmar.
A bench is submerged in water near the R.E. Olds Park on Monday, Aug. 5, 2024, in Oldsmar.

“We learned this over Idalia and Ian. These are best practices,” Guthrie said. “We haven’t had any issues to date.”

By 5 p.m. Monday, Debby had already slowed its forward speed to 6pm, from nearly 12 mph just a day before.

The National Hurricane Center said Debby is expected to stall out over Charleston and Savannah and drop potentially historic amounts of rain, up to 18 or 20 inches in some spots, through Thursday.

Michael Brennan, head of the National Hurricane Center, said in a broadcast Monday that 15 to 25 inches of rain will likely result in emergency evacuations and rescues, as well as flooding in places that don’t normally flood.

“Please stay safe,” Brennan said. “Have multiple ways to receive emergency information.”

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