By: Ellie Zhang
The center of Hurricane Debby was predicted to land on Florida’s
Big Bend coast early Monday. Heavy record-setting rains, disastrous flooding,
and fatal storm surges struck the coast, as the storm made its way across the northern parts of Florida.
Officials in Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina set up temporary shelters and urged residents in low-lying coastal areas to evacuate. Storm surges up to 10 feet were expected in some areas.
“We’ve got our stormwater drains cleared out. We’ve got our generators all checked and full. We’re doing everything that we need to be prepared to face a tropical storm,” Tampa Mayor Jane Castor said.
A truck driver on Interstate 75 in Tampa died after he lost control of the vehicle, which flipped over a concrete wall and fell into the waters below. The man was identified and located by the Dive Team, he was a 64-year old from Mississippi.
According to the Levy County Sheriff’s Office, a 13-year-old boy died Monday after a tree fell near Gainesville.
Hurricane Debby will move across Southern Georgia between Monday and Tuesday, according to the Hurricane Center.
The system was expected to release 6 to 12 inches of rain in parts of Florida. Ten to 20 inches of rain was expected in Georgia and South Carolina.
Sarasota, Florida, a tourist beach city, was one of the hardest areas hit by flooding.
“Essentially we’ve had twice the amount of the rain that was predicted for us to have,” said Sarasota County Fire Chief David Rathbun in a social media update.
Vice President– and current presidential candidate– Kamala Harris has postponed a trip to Georgia after hearing the ongoing effects of Hurricane Debby.
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