Hurricane Debby makes landfall in Florida as Category 1 storm and threatens catastrophic flooding

Hurricane Debby reached the Big Bend coast of Florida early Monday, bringing with it the potential for catastrophic flooding and life-threatening storm surge as it slowly passes over the northern part of the state. Forecasters warned that, in the coming days, record-setting rain could pummel coastal Georgia and South Carolina as the storm heads east.

The storm made landfall as a Category 1 storm near Steinhatchee, a tiny community in northern Florida of less than 1,000 residents on Florida’s Gulf Coast. It had maximum sustained winds of 75 mph (120 kph) and was moving north-northeast at 10 mph (17 kph), the National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The storm came ashore in one of the least populated areas of Florida, but forecasters warned heavy rain could spawn catastrophic flooding in Florida, South Carolina and Georgia.

Looking out over the Steinhatchee River from the condo above the marina he operates, Chris Williams said he was feeling blessed that the damage wasn’t worse. Williams said his power went out at about 5:30 a.m. Monday as the storm was washing ashore, jamming the dock-studded riverfront with tree debris and barrels.

The small community where Hurricane Debby made landfall is roughly 20 miles (32 kilometres) from where Hurricane Idalia crashed ashore less than a year ago.

“Two in less than a year is pretty bad,” Williams said. “You do everything you can possibly do to prepare. And when you’ve done that, clean up and put it back together and move forward.”

Forecasters said storm surge was expected to be the biggest threat for Florida, with six to 10 feet (1.8 to three metres) of inundation above ground level predicted in part of the zone near the Big Bend.

“That part of the coast is a very vulnerable spot,” John Cangialosi, a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center, said Monday. Some areas, including Sarasota and Manatee counties, have already received 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 centimetres) of rain.

In Georgia, the U.S. National Weather Service is predicting major flooding on some rivers: the Canoochee River near Claxton, the Ohoopee River near Reidsville and the Ogeechee River near Eden. All those rivers were below flood stage Monday but could see their water levels more than double by later in the week.

Nearly about 300,000 customers were without power in Florida and Georgia on Monday, according to PowerOutage.com.

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said some 17,000 linemen are working to restore electricity. He warned residents in affected areas to sit tight until conditions are safe.

“When the water rises, when you have streets that can be flooded, that’s hazardous,” DeSantis said. “Don’t try to drive through this. We don’t want to see traffic fatalities adding up. Don’t tempt fate, don’t try to go through these flooded streets.”

A truck driver was killed early Monday after he lost control of his tractor trailer along a wet Interstate 75 in the Tampa area. In Union County, some roads were already under water and numerous trees and power lines were down. The Union County Sheriff’s Office said Monday that residents were cleaning up from a tornado that touched down in the county Sunday night, damaging at least one home. No injuries were reported.

Hurricane Debby has followed a track “very similar to Idalia 11 months ago,” DeSantis said. Hurricane Idalia came ashore near Keaton Beach, Florida on Aug. 30, 2023, with maximum sustained winds of 125 mph. Keaton Beach is about 20 miles north of Steinhatchee. He noted there were fewer power outages with Debby.

Images posted on social media by Cedar Key Fire Rescue early Monday showed floodwaters rising along the streets of the city, located south of where the storm made landfall. Water was “coming in at a pretty heavy pace,” the post said.

Debby was expected to move eastward over northern Florida and then stall over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina, thrashing the region with potential record-setting rains totaling up to 30 inches (76 centimeters) beginning Tuesday through Saturday morning. Flooding is expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia; Hilton Head Island, South Carolina; and Charleston, South Carolina. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp has called up 2,000 members of the Georgia National Guard.

Officials in Savannah said the area could see a month’s worth of rain in four days if the system stalls over the region.

North Carolina and South Carolina have dealt with three catastrophic floods from tropical systems in the past nine years, all causing more than US$1 billion in damage.

In 2015, flooding rains fed by moisture as Hurricane Joaquin passed well offshore caused massive flooding that nearly knocked Columbia’s water system offline.

In 2016, flooding from Hurricane Matthew caused 24 deaths in the two states and rivers set record crests that would be broken in 2018 when Hurricane Florence set rainfall records in both Carolinas, flooded many of the same places and was responsible for 42 deaths in North Carolina and nine in South Carolina.

“Right now, we are to trying secure everything from floating away,” said Sheryl Horne, whose family owns the Shell Island Fish Camp along the Wakulla River in St. Marks, Fla., where some customers moved their boats inland.

The sparsely populated Big Bend region in the Florida Panhandle also was hit last year by Hurricane Idalia, which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane.

“I am used to storms and I’m used to cleaning up after storms,” Horne said.

Even though the Putnam Lodge in Cross City, Florida, was at the edge of the storm’s eyewall, the almost 100-year-old lodge still had power and appeared to have only a few downed trees Monday morning, said Ed Pivacek, owner of the “Old Florida” property.

The lodge was full of residents who had fled coastal areas and TV news crews capturing the storm.

“The rains have ceded, the grounds are flooded, and we lost a couple of oak trees, but we still have our power,” Pivacek said. “Things seem to be OK here, as long as we keep our power.”

This story has been updated to correct that the Big Bend area is north of Tampa, not south of Tampa.

Chandler reported from Montgomery, Ala. Jake Offenhartz contributed from New York. Jeff Martin reported from Atlanta and Freida Frisaro reported from Fort Lauderdale, Fla.