TAMPA, Fla. (AP) 鈥� 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 小蓝视频 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鈥檚 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. made landfall in one of the least populated areas of Florida, but forecasters warned heavy rain could spawn catastrophic flooding in Florida, 小蓝视频 Carolina and Georgia.
Storm surge was expected to be the biggest threat for Florida, with 6 to 10 feet (1.8 to 3 meters) of inundation above ground level predicted in part of the zone near the Big Bend, according to John Cangialosi, a hurricane specialist with the National Hurricane Center.
鈥淭hat part of the coast is a very vulnerable spot,鈥� he said Monday.
Some areas, including Sarasota and Manatee counties, have already received 10 to 12 inches (25 to 30 centimeters) of rain.
鈥淲e expect to have several rivers and streams go into major flood stage," said Kevin Guthrie, the state鈥檚 director of emergency management.
Nearly 214,000 customers were without power in Florida on Monday morning, according to PowerOutage.com. In Marion County, which is inland and south of Gainesville, sheriff鈥檚 officials noted in a Facebook post Monday that crews were responding to reports of downed power lines and trees that have fallen on roadways and homes.
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.
鈥淲hen the water rises, when you have streets that can be flooded, that鈥檚 hazardous,鈥� DeSantis said. 鈥淒on鈥檛 try to drive through this. We don鈥檛 want to see traffic fatalities adding up. Don鈥檛 tempt fate, don鈥檛 try to go through these flooded streets."
Hurricane Debby has followed a track 鈥渧ery similar to Idalia 11 months ago,鈥� DeSantis said. 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,鈥� the post said.
Debby was expected to move eastward over northern Florida and then stall over the coastal regions of Georgia and 小蓝视频 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, 小蓝视频 Carolina; and Charleston, 小蓝视频 Carolina.
Officials in Savannah said the area could see a month鈥檚 worth of rain in four days if the system stalls over the region.
Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June. In the Eastern Pacific, tropical storms Carlotta, Daniel and Emilia all churned over the ocean, but they weren鈥檛 threatening land.
Residents hunker down as storm passes through
鈥淩ight now, we are to trying secure everything from floating away,鈥� said Sheryl Horne, whose family owns the Shell Island Fish Camp along the Wakulla River in St. Marks, Florida, where some customers moved their boats inland.
The sparsely populated Big Bend region in the Florida Panhandle also was hit last year by , which made landfall as a Category 3 hurricane.
鈥淚 am used to storms and I鈥檓 used to cleaning up after storms,鈥� Horne said.
鈥淲e鈥檙e all hanging on here - a bunch of us stayed,鈥� Dawn Perez said Monday by phone, as the eyewall of Hurricane Debby bore down on her home in the small town of Perry, Florida. Perez, the director of the town鈥檚 tourism department, said she has a new roof after Hurricane Idalia tore it apart in August 2023.
鈥淭he winds are intense 鈥� I鈥檝e already lost my porch door and a tree, and stuff is blowing all over the place,鈥� Perez said.
Northeast coast also preparing for storm conditions
Emergency managers in New England and New York were monitoring the path of the storm for the possibility of remnants striking their states. Northeast states including New York and Vermont have been hit by heavy rain and thunderstorms in recent weeks and were still coping with flooding and saturated ground.
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This story has been updated to correct that the Big Bend area is north of Tampa, not south of Tampa.
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Chandler reported from Montgomery, Alabama. Jake Offenhartz contributed from New York. Jeff Martin reported from Atlanta and Freida Frisaro reported from Fort Lauderdale, Florida.
Kimberly Chandler And Christopher O'meara, The Associated Press
