By: Elizabeth Kwan

Forming in the Gulf of Mexico due to abnormally warm waters and unstable air on August 4, 2024, Hurricane Debby made landfall in Florida the following morning, causing thousands of residents in 15 counties to evacuate the area.

Hurricane Debby hit Florida with winds of 80 miles per hour, 6-12 inches of rain, and up to 10 feet of storm surges in certain areas. In Georgia and South Carolina, 10-20 inches of rain is expected. After Debby moves up to the East Coast, it will become more of a rain clouds rather than a tropical storm. North Carolina and Virginia may experience heavy rainstorms, but not as drastic as southern states.

Nathan Thomas, a professional sailor, was drifting in the ocean with a friend when they noticed a sudden rise in the tidal waves. Thomas described their encounter as “like being in a washing machine.” In a later telephone interview, Thomas said, “…If the Coast Guard [hadn’t gotten] to us, we had less than a 50% chance of surviving.” The Coast Guard that found the sailors explained that they were stranded in 60 miles per hour wind gusts.

The Levy County Sheriff’s Office in Florida reported at least four dead because of Hurricane Debby. “Downed power lines and falling trees are among the many hazards. One life is too many. Please be safe,” the Sheriff warned after an attempted rescue for a teenage boy crushed inside his house near the ocean coast.

Although Hurricane Debby is a category 1 hurricane, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is telling people to ignore the category, referencing to Hurricane Beryl that hit Texas in early July as evidence.

Debby’s impact in Florida reached the border between the state’s main peninsula and Panhandle, one of the smaller towns. More populated cities like Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina should expect severe damage.