Hurricane Debby has arrived in Florida and threatens “catastrophic” flooding: “Around 143,000 Floridians are without power”

Steph Deschamps / August 7, 2024

Hurricane Debby made landfall on Monday morning in Florida, in the southeastern United States, US authorities announced, warning of possible “catastrophic flooding” in some areas.

Debby made landfall as a category 1 hurricane on a scale of 5, near Steinhatchee, a small town of around 1,000 inhabitants on Florida’s west coast at the Gulf of Mexico.

“We have seen and will continue to see flooding in various parts of Florida,” state Governor Ron DeSantis said Monday morning. “And this isn’t something that just happens when the storm passes. There’s a threat, an ongoing threat, in the days that follow.”

“So far, about 143,000 Floridians are without power,” he added, assuring that crews were ready to restore power as soon as possible.

At 08:00 local time, the storm’s winds were blowing at 120 km/h, according to the U.S. Hurricane Center (NHC). Water levels could rise up to three meters in places, it added. The “potentially historic” rainfall brought by the hurricane “will likely result in catastrophic flooding in some areas”, he warned.

The storm is due to cross northern Florida on Monday, then move southwards into Georgia, before reaching the coast of that state on Tuesday evening. Heavy rains are also expected to hit South Carolina.

Tornadoes are also possible in Florida and southern Georgia today/Monday, warned the NHC. In July, the unusually early Hurricane Beryl had already hit the southern United States, killing several people.