Debby weakens to tropical depression after South Carolina landfall, heads up East Coast as heavy rainmaker
Debby made landfall in South Carolina for the second time on Thursday as a tropical storm before weakening into a tropical depression. The storm is moving up the East Coast and is expected to dump several inches of rain this weekend, reaching as far north as Vermont. According to the National Hurricane Center, Debby made landfall near Bulls Bay, South Carolina. The storm is expected to move further inland and could bring heavy rain and flooding to the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast over the weekend. The storm made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast for the first time as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday morning. As of 5 p.m. EDT Thursday, the storm's maximum sustained winds were 35 mph, according to the Miami Hurricane Center. Debby's center was located about 45 miles east of Charlotte, North Carolina, and about 150 miles southwest of Raleigh, North Carolina. The storm was moving north-northwest at 16 mph. Debby is expected to bring an additional 3 to 6 inches of rain to parts of southeastern North Carolina and elsewhere, with storm totals expected to reach up to 15 inches, according to the hurricane center. An additional 1 to 3 inches of rainfall in parts of eastern South Carolina could bring totals up to 25 inches. Forecasters said "major flooding" is expected in parts of eastern South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina through Friday. Three to seven inches or more of rain is expected from North Carolina through Virginia through Friday, which could cause flash flooding, river flooding and urban flooding. Maryland, upstate New York and Vermont are expected to get two to four inches or more of rain by Friday night, which could also lead to flooding. At least six deaths are believed to be caused by Debby's rains, four in Florida, including two children, and the rest in Georgia and North Carolina. North Carolina was the state where Debby caused the most power outages (more than 71,000) on Thursday night, according to PowerOutage.us.
Wilson County Emergency Management Director Gordon Deno said Debbie produced several possible tornadoes early Thursday morning, including one that damaged Springfield Middle School in Lucama, North Carolina. He said several homes and a church were also damaged, but no injuries were reported. 
Tropical Storm Debby as seen form a satellite shortly after it made landfall near Bulls Bay, South Carolina early on Aug. 8, 2024.
"It literally brought tears to my eyes to see that our community has suffered this kind of damage. It affects all of us," Jamie Driver told alkhabrfdakika Patrick Torphy.
Her son attended the school, and her husband, Robbie Driver, was a firefighter with Crossroads Volunteer Fire Department.
Damage to the Springfield Middle School in Lucama, N.C. from a suspected tornado spawned by Tropical Storm Debby is seen early on August 8, 2024.
The National Weather Service office in Charleston also said its search team had confirmed four tornadoes linked to Debby.
In Huger, about 24 miles northeast of Charleston, Gene Taylor waited out the afternoon high tide as a few inches of water flowed from his home along French Quarter Creek.
Taylor saw the risk of flooding last week and began moving his belongings out of the house or storing them on higher floors, a lesson he learned the hard way. Taylor estimates this is the fourth time his home has flooded in the past nine years.
"You have to be prepared for the worst to save everything. We've learned that from the past." And unfortunately, I think we figured that out," Taylor said.
A few houses away, Charles Grainger was cleaning up after about 8 inches of water flooded his home.
"Eight inches is life-ruining. It's not something you get used to. You just grit your teeth and bear it," Granger said. It's part of life on the stream."
In Georgia, at least four dams have failed in Bulloch County, northwest of Savannah, but no fatalities have been reported, officials said at a news conference. 
Charles Grainger cleans up around his house in the historic district of French Quarter Creek as flood waters recede from Tropical Storm Debby on Aug. 7, 2024, in Huger, South Carolina.
More than 75 people have been rescued from floodwaters in the county and about 100 roads have been closed, Emergency Management Director Corey Kemp said.
"We're facing a lot of things we've never faced before," said Bulloch County Commission Chairman Roy Thompson. "I'm over 78 years old and I've never been through anything like this in Bulloch County. It's unbelievable what's happened, but I won't believe what's going to happen until all this water is gone."
Homes in Statesboro, Georgia, were flooded after excessive rains from Tropical Storm Debby caused water levels to rise in the area on Aug. 7, 2024.
For residents of Tappan Zee Drive, in the suburb of Pooler west of Savannah, the heavy rains caused by Debby were a painful déjà vu. In October 2016, Hurricane Matthew flooded a nearby canal, inundating several of the same homes.
The area is about 30 miles inland from the Atlantic Ocean and has no nearby streams or rivers, so it doesn't seem to be at high risk for tropical flooding. But residents claim their street has suffered drainage problems for more than a decade, despite efforts by local governments to fix it.
Debby also flooded areas as far north as the Great Lakes and as far south as New York and New Jersey. Moisture from the tropical storm helped another system strengthen Tuesday night, producing strong thunderstorms, according to Scott Kleebauer, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
"We had a few showers and thunderstorms moving eastward from Michigan," Kleebauer said.
Parts of New Jersey got up to 6 inches of rain within four hours.
New York City emergency officials warned of possible flash flooding, flying drones with loudspeakers over some areas and telling residents in basement apartments to evacuate at any time. Several water rescues were reported in and near the city. About 260,000 homes in Ohio remained without power as of midday Thursday due to severe weather, including two confirmed tornadoes, according to a PowerOutage.us report. FirstEnergy Lighting said on social media that it would take several days to restore power due to the damage.
In South Carolina, the state said more than 60 homes were damaged but there were no major issues with roads or water systems, and the state was in the second part of a trilogy.
The final phase could come next week, when enough rain could cause severe flooding in rivers upstream in North Carolina that head to the Atlantic Ocean. States of emergency were declared in North Carolina and Virginia. Maryland issued a declaration of preparations and coordinated preparations without declaring a state of emerg
ency.
alkhabrfdakika
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