Tropical Storm Debby drenches Southeast with rain, high water as it drifts along the Atlantic coast (2024)

SAVANNAH, Ga. — Tropical Storm Debby drenched coastal cities in Georgia and South Carolina, stirred up tornadoes and submerged streets with floodwaters Tuesday in what is just the beginning of a prolonged storm that could dump staggering totals of up to 25 inches of rain.

Charleston and Savannah took the first blow, with up to a foot of rain falling along the coast between the two cities in just over 24 hours. Dozens of roads were closed in historic Charleston because of flooding similar to what it sees several times a year because of rising sea levels.

As Debby swirled just offshore, the heavy rain was expected to move north into parts of South Carolina and North Carolina that already saw two billion-dollar floods in eight years.

In one Savannah neighborhood, firefighters used boats Tuesday afternoon to evacuate some residents and waded in waist-deep floodwaters to deliver bottled water and supplies to others who refused to leave.

Officials in Charleston continued a curfew, closing roads into the downtown peninsula and letting only essential workers and emergency personnel pass through. Mayor William Cogswell said the move meant the city didn't have to do any high water rescues and kept businesses and homes from unnecessary damage.

"We especially don't need any yahoos driving through the water and causing damage to properties," Cogswell said.

South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Debby hadn't yet been as bad as feared but warned residents the slow-moving storm was far from over.

It will be a nervous few days for northern South Carolina and southern North Carolina where forecasters warned up to 15 inches of rain could fall. Those totals are close to what the region saw in a historic flood from Hurricane Matthew in 2016. Then two years later, rains and flooding from Hurricane Florence broke many of those records. Both storms killed dozens.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Monday, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared the same for his state Tuesday.

"The effects of Debby are far-reaching, and our neighboring states are facing significant challenges," Youngkin said.

Several areas along North Carolina's coastline are prone to flooding, such as Wilmington and the Outer Banks. Virginia could see impacts including strong winds, heavy rains and flooding.

The storm was expected to slowly move out to sea, then reverse and creep back onshore Thursday near Charleston.

"Tropical cyclones always produce heavy rain, but normally as they're moving, you know, it doesn't accumulate that much in one place," Richard Pasch of the hurricane center said. "But when they move very slowly, that's the worst situation."

Green Pond in rural Colleton County, South Carolina, reported the most rain so far from Debby with just over 14 inches. A nearby dam had water run over its top but did not crumble while trees and washouts blocked a number of roads, Colleton County Fire-Rescue Assistant Chief David Greene said.

Close to a foot of rain was reported down coast from Charleston to Savannah, where the National Weather Service reported 6.68 inches of rainfall just on Monday. That's already a month's worth of rain in a single day: In all of August 2023, the city got 5.56 inches of rain.

Tornadoes knocked down trees and damaged a few homes on Kiawah Island and Edisto Island between Savannah and Charleston. A Walmart, an Arby's and other businesses were damaged and several vehicles flipped in Moncks Corner about 30 miles inland from Charleston.

As the heavy rain shifted up the coast to Myrtle Beach, Crooked Hammock Brewery in North Myrtle Beach decided to close early.

"Flash flooding is super unpredictable, and we'd rather our staff and guests be home and safe," marketing coordinator Georgena Dimitriadis said.

Far to the north in New York City, heavy storms that meteorologists said were enhanced by Debby flooded some streets and expressways, stranding motorists. The National Weather Service issued a flood watch until noon Wednesday for the entire city.

Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday along the Gulf Coast of Florida. At least six people died due to the storm, most of them in traffic accidents or from fallen trees.

About 500 people were rescued Monday from flooded homes in Sarasota, Florida, a beach city popular with tourists, the local police department said. Just north of Sarasota, Manatee County officials said 186 people were rescued.

State officials said it could be two weeks before staff are able to fully assess storm damage in parts of north central Florida, as they wait for river levels there to crest.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp shared a similar message Tuesday morning, warning of more rain and flooding in the coming days: "Do not let this storm lull you to sleep," he said.

More than 155,000 customers remained without power in Florida and Georgia on Tuesday morning, down from more than 350,000, according to PowerOutage.us and Georgia Electric Membership Corp. More than 20,000 others were without power in South Carolina early Tuesday.

President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations making federal disaster assistance available to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

Debby is expected to pick up speed Thursday. The hurricane center predicts the system could move up the middle of North Carolina, through Virginia and into the Washington, D.C., area by Saturday.