Hurricane Debby brings flooding, storm surge to Florida

STEINHATCHEE, Fla. (CN) — Hurricane Debby slammed into the Big Bend area of Florida on Monday morning as a Category 1 storm with sustained winds of 80 mph, causing two deaths and bringing considerable rain and flooding to most of the state.

The hurricane made landfall near Steinhatchee at 7 a.m. EDT, according to the National Hurricane Center. The storm continued north-northeast at 10 mph and will move into Georgia later Monday as a weakened tropical system. Debby is expected to dump massive amounts of rain across the entire southeast U.S. over the next few days.

There have been two confirmed deaths from the storm. The Levy County Sheriff's Office said a 13-year-old boy died after a tree fell on his home. Hillsborough County Fire Rescue reported the driver of an 18-wheeler truck drowned after the vehicle fell into a canal early Monday.

“We encourage everyone to use extreme caution as they begin to assess and clean up the damage,” Levy County Sheriff Bobby McCallum said in a statement. “Downed power lines and falling trees are among the many hazards. One life is too many.”

Flash flood warnings were in effect for north and central Florida and southern Georgia. There was also a tornado watch in effect for parts of Florida and Georgia.

"This potentially historic rainfall will likely result in areas of catastrophic flooding,” the National Hurricane Center's staff wrote in the advisory.

Debby is the first storm to hit Florida this hurricane season, which is projected to be one of the busiest in recent years. Historic warm waters in the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean allowed the tropical depression to strengthen to a hurricane in just a few days.

The hurricane comes a year after Hurricane Idalia made landfall in the same area as a Category 3 storm — the strongest to hit that region in over 100 years. Though not as powerful, Debby is still causing storm surge from Tampa to Tallahassee. Cedar Key in the Big Bend region has reported a 6-foot storm surge.

In a briefing, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said there has been “significant storm surge” from Sarasota to Tallahassee and major flooding.

“There is an ongoing threat of that over the ensuing days,” DeSantis said. “The most important thing to do is to protect yourself and your family. Don’t go out into this storm. Don’t go driving on the roads.”

The governor declared a state of emergency for 61 counties expected to be hit by Hurricane Debby. President Joe Biden issued an emergency declaration that authorizes the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin coordinating disaster relief efforts.

In Tampa, the Florida Highway Patrol closed the Howard Frankland Bridge, the metro area’s largest, connecting Hillsborough and Pinellas counties.

Officials in Sarasota estimate the area has received more than 11 inches of rain.

“We expect to have several rivers and streams to go into major flood stage,” said Kevin Guthrie, executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. “This is probably going to be here for the next five to seven days, maybe even 10 days.”

On Sunday, the U.S. Coast Guard rescued two boaters in 20-foot seas off of Boca Grande near Fort Myers.

“Some of the most important factors in any search and rescue case is accurate information and safety equipment," said Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hooper, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard District Seven. "We received an updated satellite position from the boaters’ friend, which led to them being successfully located.”

In Taylor County, Sheriff Wayne Padgett set a curfew from 9 p.m. to 7 a.m. for Sunday and Monday.

“Stay off the roads, literally,” he said in a video message. “If we catch you, I will put you in jail. I promise you that."

Follow @alexbpickett

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