Tropical Storm Debby updates: Heavy rain and 'catastrophic' flooding feared as 6 confirmed dead in Southeast (2024)

Debby could find new strength offshore before returning to land

The Trump campaign said today that two North Carolina events to be headlined by Vance have been postponed amid dangerous weather.

Vance had been scheduled to speak at events in Raleigh and Oakboro on Thursday but will now appear at a later date yet to be announced, the Trump campaign said in a statement today.

It blamed "severe weather forecasts" for the postponement.

Tropical Storm Debby was expected to produce as much as 25 inches of rain in some areas Thursday and Friday as it moves north into North Carolina and the mid-Atlantic, federal forecasters said.

A curfew covering Charleston, South Carolina, that was originally enacted last night through this morning has been extended through 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, Mayor William Cogswell announced.

At a news conference discussing the city's response to Debby, Cogswell said the process of deciding whether to extend the curfew took into account the burden it might create for businesses.

"I promise you that the purpose of this curfew is not to be annoying," he said. "It is not to hurt businesses. It is to keep people off the roads and prioritize the safety of our residents and our first responders while we still have a tropical storm sitting right off of our coast."

City officials suggested at the news conference that the overnight curfew was a success and resulted in fewer unnecessary calls to 911. "You have my thanks for that," Fire Chief Daniel Curia said.

Cogswell, meanwhile, said he looks forward to sunny days.

"I know this has not been easy, but when it is all over, I strongly encourage all residents to go out and support your local restaurant, your local boutique and, yes, your local bar," he said. "And I hope to have a toast to the long goodbye of Debby."

The Coast Guard station in Charleston, South Carolina, assisted an 82-year-old man who was aboard a disabled shipping vessel today near Shipyard Creek in Charleston.

A boat crew was able to help the man raise his ship’s anchor and move it to Cooper River Marina, the Coast Guard said in a statement.

The Coast Guard said it received a notification at 7:45 a.m. from the 32-foot vessel’s insurance company that said the ship’s owner needed help moving his boat to a safe haven “but was unable to do so due to engine problems and difficulty raising the anchor on his own.”

“The man also reported that his vessel had a large hole in its side from a previous incident, and water was entering due to the increased rainfall from the storm,” the statement said.

No one was injured, the Coast Guard said.

“If possible, all mariners are advised to stay off the water as Tropical Storm Debby approaches,” Lt. Michael Allen, the Sector Charleston Incident Management Division chief, said in the statement. “If you are unable to evade the storm, make sure you are wearing a life jacket, know how to activate your distress signaling devices, and call for help immediately if you get into trouble, while staying in touch with the Coast Guard or anyone else you can reach to ensure your location is known and assistance can be sent if needed.”

Reporting from Bluffton, South Carolina

In Bluffton, South Carolina, residents are dealing with flooding in their homes and surveying the damage.

On one street where the water reached up to calf-length, a man who goes by Bob went through each room, finding soaked furniture and drenched carpets.“The bedrooms are soaking wet,” he said. “All the furniture, everything.”

Bob said that when he got up this morning and had to take relatives to the airport, the flooding in his house wasn’t as bad. But now, as he looked around his home, he was standing on the sopping wet, brand-new carpet.

“We came back, it was just bad,” he said. “All soaking wet."He said the area around him “looks like a river right now.”

“It’s going to take a long time to dry this out. Long time,” he said.

With all of the flooding damage, Bob decided he and his wife would leave and go to a hotel to wait out the impact of the storm.

Facebook user Sugar Branham Warren posted images and video of widespread flooding in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.

Tropical Storm Debby is now 10 miles southeast of Savannah, Georgia, moving north at 5 mph with maximum sustained winds of 40 mph, according to the 2 p.m. National Hurricane Center advisory.

A storm surge warning — meaning danger of life-threatening inundation from rising water moving inland — is in effect for the Savannah River in Georgia to the South Santee River in South Carolina, and a tropical storm warning is in effect for Altamaha Sound in Georgia to Surf City, North Carolina.

Authorities described the situation as “life-threatening” and said those in affected areas should follow evacuation orders and instructions from local officials.

Debby is forecast to move off Georgia later today and continue to drift offshore through early Thursday before moving back inland over South Carolina later Thursday.

The storm is expected to produce “potentially historic rainfall totals of 10 to 20 inches, with maximum amounts of 25 inches, bringing areas of catastrophic flooding across portions of the eastern half of South Carolina, and southeast North Carolina through Friday,” the weather service said.

A few tornadoes are also possible over coastal South Carolina and coastal southeast North Carolina today through tomorrow morning.

Tropical Storm Debby is moving over Georgia and South Carolina, bringing a major threat of flooding and storm surges. NBC News’ Erin McLaughlin reports on storm preparations from Folly Beach, South Carolina, and meteorologist Bill Karins tracks the storm’s path.

Colleton County, South Carolina, has already clocked a staggering amount of rain — and more is on the way as Debby continues to wreak havoc in the Southeast.

Green Pond has accumulated 14.02 inches, Bennett's Point 11 inches and Edisto Beach 9 inches.

“Unfortunately, the weather service is predicting 3 to 5ore inches of rain in the next 24 hours and then 8 to 12 inches through Friday, additionally,” Barry McRoy, chief of Colleton County Fire-Rescue, said in a news briefing today. “So again, that is 11 to 17 more inches of rain between now and Friday that we anticipate receiving in ColletonCounty.”

Officials urged people to avoid Edisto Beach, where there has been damage after two tornado warnings. That damage is now being assessed to determine whether it was tornado damage or not. There are also several downed power lines, flooded roads and multiple road closures, including Highway 174 because of a small sinkhole.

Locals are warned to stay off roads because of floodwaters and to shelter at home as rain, flooding and possible tropical storm-force winds will still hit the area. The county's emergency operations center went to operational condition, its highest level, this morning and is staffed 24 hours a day until Debby passes.

More than 105,000 customers in Florida were without power, along with thousands in other states, as of around noon today, according to PowerOutage.us, which aggregates live outage data.

More than 13,100 customers were without power in Georgia, while more than 11,100 were without power in South Carolina and nearly 4,000 were without power in North Carolina, the website said.

Reporting from Folly Beach, South Carolina

Kyle Martin and Kathy Hunt braved torrential downpour this morning in flooded Folly Beach, South Carolina, to clear drains in their neighborhood — which they described as their “lifelines.”

“We’re trying to save our street from completely flooding right now,” Martin told NBC News. “The goal is going to be to keep these drains open as long as we can, because obviously, debris and everything comes flooding in … as soon as those drains stop, the water’s in our house.”

The duo was dressed in hooded rain coats that did little to save them from the relentless deluge.

Martin warned that if water were to enter his home, “I’m not going to have somewhere to live. We’re going to lose everything.”

He said, “As long as I’ve lived down here, this is as bad as I’ve seen,” adding, “We got a long way to go.”

Tropical Storm Debby was expected “to meander near the South Carolina coast during the next couple of days” and bring a “serious flood threat over portions of the southeastern United States this week,” the NWS National Hurricane Center in Miami said this morning.

A storm surge warning was in effect for Altamaha Sound, Georgia, to South Santee River, South Carolina, the center said. A storm surge watch was in effect for north of South Santee River, South Carolina, to Cape Fear, North Carolina.

A tropical storm warning was in effect for Altamaha Sound, Georgia, to Surf City, North Carolina, the center said. A tropical storm watch was in effect for north of Surf City, North Carolina, to Beaufort Inlet, North Carolina, the center said.

The agency said that the center of Debby was expected to move offshore of the coast of Georgia later today and tonight, then continue to drift offshore early Thursday and before moving inland over South Carolina.

Up to 30 inches of rain is forecast to drop on South Carolina as Tropical Storm Debby moves up the East Coast. Charleston Mayor William Cogswell describes how the city and rescue services are preparing for an “unprecedented” amount of rain.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp urged locals to stay vigilant, stay off roads and take caution as Debby has inundated the southeast part of the state with rain.

“We’ve had a heavy impact on southeast Georgia with heavy winds and certainly a lot of rainfall,” he said in a briefing today. Georgia had declared a state of emergency Saturday to brace for Debby and up to 2,00 National Guardsmen are ready to deploy if needed.

Kemp said that ports are closed, about 47,000 in the state are without power, and models forecast that the state could get 4 to 8 more inches of rain.

He also acknowledged the death of a 19-year-old in Moultrie, Georgia. NBC affiliate WALB reported that the teen died after a tree fell through a home as Debby hit the state yesterday.

Tropical Storm Debby is now 20 miles southwest of Savannah, Georgia, moving northeast at 6 mph with winds of 45 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center’s 8 a.m. advisory.

It is forecast to slowly head east then north. Its center will move offshore of the coast of Georgia later today, then drift offshore through early Thursday before moving inland over South Carolina later that same day.

Debby has already brought an intense deluge to various states. In Lakewood Ranch, Florida, east of Sarasota, over a foot of rain was reported at 12.84 inches as of today. Other top rainfall totals so far include 12.49 inches in Sarasota, 10.86 inches in North Charleston, South Carolina, and 8.62 inches in the Savannah area.

Flooding rainfall remains the greatest risk from Debby through the weekend, with a high risk of flash flooding today through Thursday.The flood risk is increasing up the coast, including into the mid-Atlantic and the Northeast by Saturday. Today more rainfall will drench Florida, and coastal Georgia, South Carolina and eastern North Carolina through Friday. Four rivers are already at major flood stage near Tampa with 13 forecastto rise to that level across northern Florida and southeastern Georgia.

The body of a boater previously reported as missing in Gulfport, Florida, as storm Debby ravaged the state, has been recovered.

He was identified as 48-year-old Brian Clough, found dead in his boat, the Gulfport Police Department said early today. His body has been taken to the Pinellas CountyMedical Examiner’s Office for further examination, authorities said.

He had anchored his sailboat approximate 50 feet from Gulfport’s VeteransPark through Debby “and a man from the local boating community" saw his vessel "had partially sunk" in the late morning hours yesterday with his dog still aboard, police previously said.

A tornado watch has been issued for eastern South Carolina and adjoining coastal North Carolina by the Storm Prediction Center.

“Instability will be greatest near the coast, supporting occasional supercells with a tornado threat,” the center said.

“A Tornado Watch means conditions are favorable for tornadoes and severe thunderstorms in and close to the watch area,” it added. “Persons in these areas should be on the lookout for threatening weather conditions.”

The Isle of Palms Police Department warned people to “stay indoors” because of “heavy debris” on the roads.

A Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission officer removes a U.S. flag from the floodwaters after Hurricane Debby made landfall in Suwannee yesterday.

Potentially historic rainfall could bring “catastrophic flooding” across parts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina through Friday, the National Hurricane Center warned its latest public advisory.

Up to 25 inches of rainfall "will likely result in areas of considerable flash and urban flooding, with river flooding possible," from northern North Carolina through portions of the mid-Atlantic the advisory said.

“Tropical storm conditions are expected over portions of the tropical storm warning area along the northeastern Florida and Georgia coasts through this morning,” it said.

“The combination of storm surge and tide will cause normally dry areas near the coast to be flooded by rising waters moving inland from the shoreline,” it added.

More than 150,000 customers in Florida, Georgia and South Carolina are without power this morning, 24 hours after Debby made landfall on Florida's Big Bend yesterday, according to PowerOutage.us.

Authorities have confirmed that a tree fell on to a home in southern Georgia, killing a 19-year-old man, making it the first recorded death related to Tropical Storm Debby in the state.

NBC affiliate WALB of Albany, Georgia, reported that the man died when a tree fell on a property on 13 Avenue SW in Moultrie, Colquitt County.

The death was confirmed by Coroner C. Verlyn Brock, although no other details have been released. First responders were working to remove the tree after the call was received around 3 p.m. yesterday.

This is the fifth confirmed death since Debby made landfall in Florida yesterday.

Authorities in Georgia's Chatham County are preparing for Tropical Storm Debby's impact on the area, which includes the city of Savannah, with a 24-hour operations room and a map showing low-lying areas most likely to flood.

Chatham Emergency Management Agency said the area could receive 10 to 15 inches of rain and severe flash flooding.

Streets became rivers in Florida yesterday, with entire neighborhoods inundated.

One motorist in Sarasota chose to ignore warning signs and drive through flooded streets. Authorities routinely urge people not to drive through flooded areas, a common cause of injury and death during extreme weather events.

Reporting from Savannah, Georgia

Hurricane Debby slammed into northern Florida as a Category 1 storm, causing trees and power lines to come down, storm surge and flooding. At least four people were reported killed. Debby was downgraded to a tropical storm but is expected to bring potentially historic rains and flooding to the Southeast over the next several days. NBC News’ Priscilla Thompson reports.