Latest news Storm "Debby" causes flooding in the southeast of the USA
Tropical storm "Debby" has caused heavy rain and flooding in the south-east of the USA. In parts of the states of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina, entire streets were under water.
07.08.2024, 10:49
SDA
People had to be rescued from their cars and in some cases from their homes, according to US media reports.
In the coastal city of Charleston in the state of South Carolina, a curfew was in place on Wednesday night (local time) "to keep people off the streets and ensure their safety and the safety of our first responders", according to the city.
Tens of thousands of households without power
"Debby" made landfall in the state of Florida on Monday as a category 1 hurricane out of 5 and was downgraded to a tropical storm shortly afterwards. According to media reports, the number of storm-related deaths in Florida and Georgia has now risen to at least five, for example due to falling trees or car accidents. In Florida alone, more than 44,000 households were still without power early Wednesday morning, according to the website poweroutage.us.
According to the US weather service, the center of the storm had recently moved back over the sea. There, "Debby" will gain strength in the coming hours. Experts expect the storm to make landfall again in South Carolina on Thursday. The weather service warned of "potentially historic" amounts of rain in parts of South Carolina and the neighboring state of North Carolina. Isolated tornadoes are also possible.
Tropical cyclones form over warm ocean waters. Increasing global warming increases the likelihood of strong storms.
