Hurricane Debbie makes landfall in Florida - at least four dead
Among the fatalities were a 38-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy who perished in a car accident in Dixie County, northwest Florida, on Sunday evening (local time) during heavy winds and wet roads. The vehicle collided with a guardrail and overturned.
Additionally, a 13-year-old boy died when a tree fell on a trailer in Levy County, north Florida. A truck driver also lost his life when his vehicle fell into a canal in Hillsborough County, central Florida, on Monday amidst the storm.
"Debby" made landfall early Monday morning (local time) as a Category 1 hurricane with wind speeds up to 130 mph near the small town of Steinhatchee on Florida's Gulf Coast. According to the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC), the storm weakened to speeds of 100 mph, no longer classifying it as a hurricane.
However, the NHC continued to warn of life-threatening flash floods along the Gulf Coast, which could reach heights of 1.8 meters in some areas. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis also noted that the storm would continue to pose a "permanent threat" in the coming days, with further flooding expected in various parts of the state.
Over 300,000 households experienced power outages due to "Debby," according to the website poweroutage.us. Authorities had already ordered mandatory evacuations for parts of Citrus County in northwest Florida over the weekend, with voluntary evacuations recommended in other areas.
President Joe Biden issued a disaster declaration for Florida on Sunday, expediting federal aid for the state.
The hurricane center predicted that "Debby" would continue northeast from Florida into the U.S. states of Georgia and South Carolina. NHC Director Michael Brennan warned of "persistent heavy rainfall with the potential for catastrophic flooding" along the coasts of Georgia and South Carolina, and possibly North Carolina. The governors of Georgia and South Carolina declared states of emergency.
"Debby" also brought an unexpected windfall for drug enforcement agents. On the island chain of Florida Keys at the southern tip of the state, waves pushed ashore 25 packages of cocaine, according to U.S. Border Patrol Chief Samuel Briggs on the X service.
The tightly sealed packages were discovered by a finder on a beach who then contacted authorities. The cocaine weighed a total of 31.7 kilograms and had an estimated value of over $1 million (€910,000).
The devastating effects of Hurricane "Debby" extended beyond the Florida Gulf Coast, as a tree fell and claimed a 13-year-old boy's life in Levy County. Despite the storm weakening, the country of Florida continues to face life-threatening flash floods and further flooding in various areas.
