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Though no longer a tropical storm, Debby continues lashing the East Coast with heavy rain and flooding as rivers overflow their banks and authorities call on the National Guard to help with high water rescues.
The storm moved north from the Carolinas toward the Northeast on Friday, drenching New York and Pennsylvania and causing dangerous flooding. Into the weekend, forecasters say parts of the East Coast can expect heavy downpours, flash flooding and possible tornadoes. Interstate 95 near bigger cities could be affected.
Debby originally made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on the Gulf Coast of Florida early Monday, but made landfall a second time in South Carolina as a tropical storm early Thursday. At least nine people have died, most in vehicle accidents or from fallen trees.
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Some evacuation orders were being lifted Friday night in parts of Steuben County, New York, which borders Pennsylvania.
The county’s emergency services agency announced on Facebook that the threat for severe flooding had passed in the hamlet of Campbell, areas along the Cohocton River, and the villages of Addison and Canisteo, based on observations and updated river gauges. Evacuation orders were still in place for two hamlets, Jasper and Woodhull, because primary access roads were still closed.
Earlier Friday, 600 people were evacuated from Woodhull after a nearby creek overflowed.
Residents returning to their homes were being urged not to enter if they smelled the odor of natural gas and to contact their provider if their service isn’t functioning.
Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro has issued a disaster declaration for 21 counties across the state as Debby brings heavy rain and flash flooding to the area.
Shapiro signed the proclamation Friday evening to allow areas hit hardest by the remnants of Debby to get funds and resources quickly, his office said.
“My Administration is in regular contact with federal and local leaders and is working hand in hand with our emergency management partners to understand where help is needed and to get appropriate resources there as quickly as possible,” Shapiro said in a statement.
More counties could be added to the declaration later, the governor’s office said.
Heavy rains started pummeling northern Vermont late Friday afternoon, with a flood watch in effect through Saturday morning.
Winds were expected to pick up, and a tornado watch was in effect for some central and southern Vermont areas until 10 p.m.
More than 5,700 customers were without power Friday evening.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul declared a statewide state of emergency Friday and said officials have deployed water rescue teams as Debby’s remnants have caused flooding in multiple parts of the state.
“With the remnants of Debby making its way across New York, I am declaring a statewide State of Emergency, and my administration stands ready to support impacted communities,” Hochul said in a statement.
She also cautioned New Yorkers to “remain vigilant and stay off the roads."
Thousands of utility customers in the Greater Cleveland area may be without power until late next week, officials said Friday.
Northeastern Ohio was socked Thursday night by storms that dropped more than 5 inches (about 13 centimeters) of rain in some areas over a two-to-four-hour period, causing major flooding and related problems.
That came two days after another series of storms spawned four tornadoes in the Cleveland area, bringing down trees and power lines and causing numerous outages.
About 600 people were evacuated from the hamlet of Woodhull in upstate New York, where the rain-swollen creek ran so ferociously that water overtopped the bridge on Main St.
Area resident Stephanie Waters said parts of sheds, branches and uprooted trees were among the debris that slammed into the span.
“Hearing the trees hit the bridge was scary,” she said.
Woodhull Fire Chief Timothy Martin said everybody was safe in the hamlet, but “every business in Woodhull is damaged.”
The battered bridge was closed to traffic.
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield said a National Guard helicopter with aquatic rescue capability was sent to Tioga County on Friday afternoon because flooding conditions had become severe in the region that runs along the New York state line.
Padfield said Tioga officials have asked for help with eight to 10 rescue locations and there are also multiple boat-based rescues being conducted.
“Right now we’re working on getting a better assessment of what the total impact happens to be up there,” Padfield said. As of about 2:30 p.m. Pennsylvania state officials were not aware of any fatalities.
People were trapped by flood waters and water rescues were launched in rural Steuben County in upstate New York, according to the National Weather Service.
The county has declared a state of emergency and told residents to avoid unnecessary travel.
“There are multiple roads that are unpassable and emergency responders are handling dozens of calls,” according to a notice from county emergency officials.
The worse of the flash flooding so far in New York was occurring in villages and hamlets in a largely rural area south of the Finger Lakes, not far from the Pennsylvania border. Canisteo is about 60 miles (about 97 kilometers) due south of the city of Rochester.
Debby, now downgraded from a tropical storm after briefing attaining hurricane status, has dumped more than a half-foot (15 centimeters) of rain in parts of New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Delaware.
The latest preliminary storm totals from the U.S. Weather Prediction Center through Friday morning show that 8.67 inches (22 centimeters) has fallen at a weather station near Pennington, New Jersey. About 7.6 inches (19 centimeters) has fallen at a spot near Afton, Virginia.
Even higher amounts were seen in South Carolina, North Carolina, Georgia and Florida.
Among Debby’s highest storm totals: a spot near Parrish, Florida, which saw 18.86 inches (48 centimeters) of rain after Debby struck the Sunshine State as a hurricane.
Rain totals in the Carolinas were also very high, with a weather station near Summerville, South Carolina recording 18.25 inches (46 centimeters). A weather station in the small community of Kings Grant, North Carolina, recorded one of that state’s highest rains totals: 15.25 inches (39 centimeters).
In Maryland, parts of downtown Annapolis were under water Friday morning, including some areas on the U.S. Naval Academy campus.
Streets near the city dock often flood during storms and officials distributed sandbags on Thursday so residents and business owners could prepare.
Flash flood and tornado warnings were also issued across the state Friday morning.
Residents of a North Carolina neighborhood were asked to evacuate due to the threat of river flooding.
WGHP-TV reports that Alamance County Emergency Management officials had first-responders go door-to-door on Thursday to urge people in about 30 houses along the Haw River to relocate because of the flood threat.
The Haw River is expected to crest just over moderate flood stage in the town of the same name on Friday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service. The town of Haw River is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Raleigh.
Emergency crews performed 33 high water rescues in a South Carolina county Friday after up to 9 inches (23 centimeters) of rain fell overnight from the remnants of Debby.
No deaths or serious injuries were reported from the storm, Berkeley County spokesperson Taylor James said.
The flooding in Berkeley County was most serious around Moncks Corner, which was hit by a tornado in one of Debby’s storm bands early Tuesday.
The flooding isolated the Cane Bay subdivision of thousands of houses where officials were asking residents to stay home until the water subsides and roads clear.
Dozens of roads across the area were closed including the eastbound lanes of Interstate 26 about 30 miles (48 kilometers) away from Charleston. Traffic cameras showed standing water across the lanes, which have concrete walls on either side as crews work to widen the highway.
The remnants of Debby were centered more than 300 miles (483 kilometers) north of Berkeley County.
A 78-year-old woman in North Carolina died after a tree fell on her home Thursday, raising the death toll from Debby to at least eight.
That is according to Rockingham County Sheriff’s Office.
The woman’s house is in an unincorporated community called Browns Summit, in Rockingham County and northeast of Greensboro.
On Thursday alone, tornadoes spawned by Debby leveled homes, damaged a school and killed one person, as the system dropped heavy rain and flooded communities across the Carolinas.
The town of Moncks Corner, South Carolina, was hit early Friday by flash flooding from the remnants of Debby, with the National Weather Service saying it received reports of up to 3 feet (0.9 meters) of fast-moving water in roadways.
“We have multiple swift water rescue teams responding to flooded areas,” officials in surrounding Berkeley County said on the social platform X, and an emergency shelter was opened at Berkeley Middle School.
The water flooded homes and businesses in Moncks Corner, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) inland from Charleston.
The town earlier in the week was damaged — including businesses battered and vehicles flipped over — after Debby spawned tornadoes.
Accuweather’s chief meteorologist Jon Porter said Debby will be remembered for its “very slow movement,” dumping large amounts of rain throughout North Carolina.
Some parts of the state saw 1 to 3 inches (2.5 to 7.6 centimeters) of rain an hour — a rate capable of catastrophic flooding, he said.
And even though the rainfall is ending in some areas, Porter warned people still need to be vigilant about runoff from waterways that could have lingering flooding issues for several days. Heavy rainfall is still expected in northern parts of North Carolina into Thursday night, he said.
Over the next few days, the heaviest rain will be west of the Interstate 95 corridor, especially in more mountainous areas where the terrain forces the storm up in elevation and wrings out its tropical moisture, Porter said. That could lead to flash flooding.
Mid-Atlantic states and parts of New York and New England will also see significant rainfall that could cause dangerous flooding into the weekend, including on parts of I-95 near bigger cities. From eastern Virginia up to Vermont, there may be an active stretch of tornadoes on Friday, he said.
“There will be multiple threats in Debby’s final chapter, and it’s a dangerous one,” he said.
Porter said there’s a “long way to go” for hurricane season, noting the historic peak of the season is in mid-September. He anticipates the next few weeks will be a “more active time period” for major tropical storms to crop up in the Atlantic.
Some residents of Southeast Georgia were warned to brace for additional flooding Thursday even after Debby had cleared out for the Carolinas, as rivers swollen with rainfall overflowed their banks.
The Ogeechee River west of Savannah was forecast to reach its major flood stage Thursday night. The National Weather Service predicted the river would continue to rise before cresting at 19.5 feet (6 meters) early Sunday.
Emergency officials in Effingham County called for residents of two roads near the Ogeechee River to evacuate Thursday. In neighboring Chatham County, which includes Savannah, officials were allowing residents to decide whether to leave.
“Expect water where you have not seen water before,” Chatham County Commission Chairman Chester Ellis told a news conference. He added: “If you have a substantial amount of water in your yards, I would say evacuate now while you still have a chance.”
Chatham County officials said rescue teams with boats had already taken 17 people to safety from homes threatened by river flooding. Ellis estimated more than 250 people live in the area.
The National Hurricane Center has downgraded Debby to a tropical depression.
Debby has maximum sustained wind speeds of 35 mph (55 kph), as of the weather service's latest advisory at around 4:30 p.m. Thursday. That's just below the threshold to be classified a tropical storm.
Debby originally made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida. The slow-moving storm was positioned over North Carolina as of Thursday afternoon.
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said one prayer has been answered in his state with no deaths or major damage from Tropical Storm Debby.
Now he said the state is waiting to see how bad flooding upstream gets.
Debby moved out of South Carolina on Thursday afternoon after dumping rain there for more than three days. But McMaster said the storm’s effects aren’t completely over.
Rain falling in North Carolina could swell rivers and cause flooding downstream in South Carolina in several days. Officials won’t know how bad that river flooding will be until the rains stops upstream in a day.
Debby brought widespread heavy rain to South Carolina. The highest total was nearly 16.6 inches (42 centimeters) in Green Pond in Colleton County.
North Carolina has increased the number of National Guard troops activated and added more rescue vehicles into the mix as rains from Tropical Storm Debby continue to drench the state.
The state “continues to face unrelenting rain and destruction from Tropical Storm Debby,” said Gov. Roy Cooper on Thursday at a National Guard armory in Kinston.
Some 374 guard members were ready to help respond with 131 vehicles, Cooper said.
One death has been reported in North Carolina after a home collapsed in a likely tornado in Wilson County in one of Debby’s storm bands. The overall death toll from Debby stands at seven.
It doesn’t look like North Carolina will suffer as badly as it did in massive floods from Hurricane Matthew and Hurricane Florence. The state has helped repair or rebuild 14,000 homes from that pair of billion-dollar disasters, Cooper said.
