At least five dead in southeastern US hit by storm “Debby”

Photo: Megan Varner Getty Images via Agence France-Presse Motorists drive past a flood warning sign on Abercorn Street, August 6, 2024, in Savannah, Georgia.

Gerard Martinez – Agence France-Presse in Miami

Published at 10:18

• United States

At least five deaths were reported Tuesday by authorities in the southeastern United States, a region hit since the previous day by storm Debby and its heavy rainfall, which poses the risk of “catastrophic” flooding.

Arriving Monday on the coast of Florida as a category 1 hurricane (on a scale of up to 5), Debby continued its course towards the north and the states of Georgia and South Carolina on Tuesday with gusts of up to 75 km/h after a peak of 120 km/h, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said Tuesday.

After four Florida fatalities in car crashes and a tree falling on a mobile home, authorities in Colquitt County, Georgia, said a 19-year-old man died Monday, also in a tree falling on a home.

« Debby could produce potentially historic rainfall of 10 to 20 inches (25 to 50 cm) and cause “catastrophic flooding” in parts of the southeastern states, according to the latest NHC bulletin.

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Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis warned Monday that a “continuing threat” of flooding would continue to loom over parts of the state in the coming days.

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State of emergency

According to the NHC, “a slow eastward then northward motion is expected through Thursday evening” for Debby. As early as Tuesday, it is expected to move off the coast of Georgia.

Joe Biden declared a state of emergency — a measure that releases federal funds to help local authorities — in South Carolina on Sunday, after having established it in Florida the day before.

“The President continues to urge residents to remain vigilant and heed the warnings of local authorities,” the White House said in a statement.

Kamala Harris, the Democratic candidate for the November presidential election, has postponed events that were to be held this week in North Carolina and Georgia because of the storm, according to local media reports citing her campaign team.

In early July, Hurricane Beryl had already hit the southern United States and caused several deaths.

According to forecasts from the American National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the hurricane season in the North Atlantic, which runs from the beginning of June to the end of November, should be particularly turbulent this year, in particular because of the heat of the oceans, which fuels storms and hurricanes.