As Tropical Storm Debby strengthens on its path to hit the east coast this week, several departments of transportation 1are preparing roads for potential high water.
Wind and thunderstorms have spread over a broad area including southern Florida, the Florida Keys and the Bahamas. A hurricane warning was in effect for sections of the state’s coast with tropical storm warnings for the Florida Keys.
Forecasters warn it also could drop heavy rains over north Florida and the Atlantic coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina early next week, according to a report from WSAW-TV.
The South Carolina Department of Transportation (SCDOT) is preparing to deal with flash flooding on South Carolina’s roadways.
SCDOT crews have worked throughout the weekend clearing storm drains and preparing for anticipated heavy rainfall, along with preparing supplies, staging equipment and getting ready to respond as needed, particularly along coastal areas.
Florida is notoriously prone to flooding, and the storm is predicted to bring a surge of 2 to 4 feet along most of the Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, with a storm tide of up to 7 feet north of there in the sparsely populated Big Bend region.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 of Florida’s 67 counties, with the National Guard activating 3,000 guard members. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp made his own emergency proclamation on Saturday.
The White House said federal and Florida officials were in touch and FEMA “pre-positioned” resources including water and food, according to WSAW-TV.
In Tampa alone, officials gave out more than 30,000 sandbags to barricade against flooding.
“We’ve got our stormwater drains cleared out. We’ve got our generators all checked and full. We’re doing everything that we need to be prepared to face a tropical storm,” said Jane Castor Tampa Mayor, in a statement.
Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season after Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, all of which formed in June.
Source: Live5News.com, WSAW-TV
