Latest on Tropical Storm Debby
- The storm was moving northeast over Georgia, bringing a major threat of flooding and storm surges for the Southeastern U.S. for the next few days.
- At least six deaths have been confirmed, five in Florida and one in Georgia, including that of a 13-year-old boy from Gainesville, Florida, and that of a 19-year-old from southern Georgia.
- Potentially historic rainfall is expected, with some areas expected to get 10 to 20 inches and as much as 30 inches in places.
- The National Hurricane Center warned of "catastrophic flooding" across eastern Georgia, the coastal plain of South Carolina and southeast North Carolina.
- Debby, which the hurricane center downgraded to a tropical storm last night, is expected to move off the coast later today and tomorrow, when it could intensify.
Debby could find new strength offshore before returning to land
Tropical Storm Debby is moving slowly offshore today, toward the waters off Georgia and South Carolina, where it's expected to strengthen until it returns later this week, forecasters said.
"The center of Debby is expected to move offshore the coast of Georgia and South Carolina later today and tonight, continue to drift offshore through early Thursday, and then move inland over South Carolina on Thursday morning," the National Hurricane Center said in an advisory this evening.
It added, "Some strengthening is forecast on Wednesday while Debby drifts offshore."
Tropical storms usually draw precipitation and organization from warm, tropical waters. The center of the storm was about 10 miles east of Savannah, Georgia, and moving east-northeast at 3 mph at around 5 p.m. ET, the center said.
Debby is producing sustained winds of 40 mph that can be felt as far away as 205 miles from the center, it said.
Storm surges of 2 to 4 feet were possible from South Santee River, South Carolina, to Cape Fear, North Carolina, with as much as 25 inches of rain in some places in the Carolinas through Friday, the center said.
The storm could produce up to 8 inches of rain as far north as New England by the weekend, it said. The mid-Atlantic and New York state are likely to be hit with 3 to 6 inches as the week progresses, forecasters said.
Vance campaign stops in North Carolina postponed
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.
Curfew extended in Charleston, South Carolina
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."
Coast Guard helps 82-year-old man aboard disabled ship in South Carolina
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.”
South Carolina residents face flooded homes, streets
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.
Map: 24 hours of rainfall in Georgia and South Carolina
Video shows extensive flooding in South Carolina
Facebook user Sugar Branham Warren posted images and video of widespread flooding in Moncks Corner, South Carolina.
Debby could produce 'potentially historic rainfall' of up to 25 inches as it heads north
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.
Southeast braces for ‘catastrophic’ flooding
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.
Up to 17 more inches of rain forecast for Colleton County, South Carolina
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 Colleton County.”
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.
