The death toll from Tropical Storm Debby has gone up after its second US landfall early Thursday.At least six people have now died because of the storm after it spawned a destructive tornado Thursday that killed a man in Lucama, North Carolina. The tornado damaged homes and a school in the area, which is around 35 miles southeast of Raleigh.Heavy rainbands and winds are causing flooding and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people as it makes its way through the state.During a briefing at a North Carolina National Guard Armory in Kinston Thursday morning, Gov. Roy Cooper and officials said 374 members of the North Carolina National Guard and more than 300 vehicles have been deployed for the storm’s response.Watch the briefing below.• Tracking the storm: Since crashing into Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, Debby has dumped more than a foot of rain over parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The deluges have engorged rivers, flooded roadways and trapped people in cars, homes and boats – and potentially dangerous heat is expected across the region in the coming days, threatening to complicate the recovery process.• Debby’s death toll climbs: One person is dead after a tornado spawned by Debby tore through part of North Carolina’s Wilson County in the earliest hours of Thursday morning, leaving behind damage to a middle school, a church and multiple homes. A man was killed after his home in the town of Lucama collapsed, a county spokesperson said. At least four people in Florida and one in Georgia were also killed by Debby.• At least 11 tornadoes confirmed: Debby has whipped up at least 11 tornadoes confirmed by the National Weather Service as of early Thursday. That includes four tornadoes in Florida, four in South Carolina and three in North Carolina. In addition to the Wilson County tornado, the service warned of a tornado in Snow Hill, North Carolina, early Thursday, describing it as “large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly.” Another tornado was observed Thursday morning near Louisburg in the northern part of the state. A tornado watch remains in effect for than 5 million people in parts of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, including the cities of Raleigh and Virginia Beach.• Flash flood emergency: Debby’s torrential rainfall cut off one North Carolina town from its surrounding areas after up to 8 inches of rain fell in just a few hours Wednesday night, according to a rare flash flood emergency issued by the National Weather Service. Officials in Bladenboro – located in the southern part of the state – reported 3 foot deep floodwater.• Debby’s current path: The storm started to pick up speed and lost some strength Thursday morning after landfall as a 50 mph storm near Bulls Bay, South Carolina. It will continue to weaken as it moves into North Carolina by Thursday evening and into northern Virginia by Friday morning. Debby will accelerate through Pennsylvania and New York by Friday evening and through New England by early Saturday afternoon, bringing heavy rains and flash flooding to a region drenched by storms earlier this week.
The death toll from Tropical Storm Debby has gone up after its second US landfall early Thursday.
At least six people have now died because of the storm after it spawned a destructive tornado Thursday that killed a man in Lucama, North Carolina. The tornado damaged homes and a school in the area, which is around 35 miles southeast of Raleigh.
Heavy rainbands and winds are causing flooding and knocking out power to hundreds of thousands of people as it makes its way through the state.
During a briefing at a North Carolina National Guard Armory in Kinston Thursday morning, Gov. Roy Cooper and officials said 374 members of the North Carolina National Guard and more than 300 vehicles have been deployed for the storm’s response.
Watch the briefing below.
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• Tracking the storm: Since crashing into Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday, Debby has dumped more than a foot of rain over parts of Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. The deluges have engorged rivers, flooded roadways and trapped people in cars, homes and boats – and potentially dangerous heat is expected across the region in the coming days, threatening to complicate the recovery process.
• Debby’s death toll climbs: One person is dead after a tornado spawned by Debby tore through part of North Carolina’s Wilson County in the earliest hours of Thursday morning, leaving behind damage to a middle school, a church and multiple homes. A man was killed after his home in the town of Lucama collapsed, a county spokesperson said. At least four people in Florida and one in Georgia were also killed by Debby.
• At least 11 tornadoes confirmed: Debby has whipped up at least 11 tornadoes confirmed by the National Weather Service as of early Thursday. That includes four tornadoes in Florida, four in South Carolina and three in North Carolina. In addition to the Wilson County tornado, the service warned of a tornado in Snow Hill, North Carolina, early Thursday, describing it as “large, extremely dangerous and potentially deadly.” Another tornado was observed Thursday morning near Louisburg in the northern part of the state. A tornado watch remains in effect for than 5 million people in parts of eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia, including the cities of Raleigh and Virginia Beach.
• Flash flood emergency: Debby’s torrential rainfall cut off one North Carolina town from its surrounding areas after up to 8 inches of rain fell in just a few hours Wednesday night, according to a rare flash flood emergency issued by the National Weather Service. Officials in Bladenboro – located in the southern part of the state – reported 3 foot deep floodwater.
• Debby’s current path: The storm started to pick up speed and lost some strength Thursday morning after landfall as a 50 mph storm near Bulls Bay, South Carolina. It will continue to weaken as it moves into North Carolina by Thursday evening and into northern Virginia by Friday morning. Debby will accelerate through Pennsylvania and New York by Friday evening and through New England by early Saturday afternoon, bringing heavy rains and flash flooding to a region drenched by storms earlier this week.
