Debby douses Southeast with rain as it moves along Atlantic coast
Tropical Storm Debby doused coastal cities in Georgia and South Carolina, stirred up tornadoes and flooded streets with waist-high floodwaters Tuesday. The storm could dump more than two feet of rain.
Charleston and Savannah were hit with up to a foot of rain. Police blocked all the roads into downtown Charleston. Dozens of roads were closed in the historic city because of flooding similar to what it sees several times a year.
Heavy rain is expected to move north into parts of South Carolina and North Carolina. Debby was projected to travel through cities, including Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, as the National Hurricane Center is predicting roughly 25 inches of rain in some areas.
Serious flooding in one Savannah neighborhood led to people walking through water near their waists as Mayor Van Johnson said in a social media video that the city is making resources available to residents.
Officials in Charleston continued a curfew, closing all roads into downtown and allowing only essential workers and emergency personnel to pass through the area.
Charleston Mayor William Cogswell told the Associated Press that the move meant the city hadn't had to do any high water rescues and kept businesses and homes from unnecessary damage.
Flash flood warnings were issued in Savannah and Charleston, among other areas of coastal Georgia and South Carolina. Both cities announced overnight curfews as the rains picked up.
Tornadoes knocked down trees and damaged a few homes on Kiawah Island and Edisto Island between Savannah and Charleston, South Carolina. Multiple businesses were damaged, and several cars flipped in Moncks Corner about 30 miles from Charleston.
Debby continued to dump rain on Parris Island, South Carolina. FOX Weather reported that the U.S. Marine Corps said its recruit depot base in the area is under a shelter-in-place order, meaning no one is is allowed to move around the base.
Image of the forecast track for Tropical Storm Debby. (FOX Weather)
Savannah, Georgia, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Wilmington, North Carolina, are among the cities projected to get over a foot of rain in their areas through Thursday, according to FOX Weather.
The Associated Press reported that President Joe Biden approved emergency declarations making federal disaster assistance available to Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.
Vice President Kamala Harris postponed a campaign stop scheduled for Thursday in Savannah.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency Monday, and Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin declared the same for his state Tuesday.
FILE-In this aerial view, a street is flooded by Tropical Storm Debby on August 6, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodríguez Carrillo/Getty Images)
The heavy rainfall from the storm that killed at least five people caused flash flooding in Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina, and other parts of the Atlantic coast.
Three-hour radar loop. Warning boxes are color coded as: Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in yellow, Tornado Warnings in red, Tornado Warnings with a confirmed tornado in purple, Flash Flood Warnings in green and Flash Flood Emergencies in pink. (FOX Wea
On Monday night, a tornado hit Edisto Beach, South Carolina, causing damage to homes while knocking down trees and power lines, but there were no injuries reported by officials.
Debby made landfall along Florida’s Big Ben on Monday as a Category 1 hurricane and has already dumped over 20 inches of rain, resulting in serious flooding in Southwest Florida and causing power outages for more than 300,000 residents in Florida, according to FOX Weather.
Flood alerts in the Southeast. (FOX Weather)
RELATED: Debby blamed for four deaths in Florida; storm could bring 'catastrophic' flooding to Atlantic coast
FOX Weather and the Associated Press contributed to this report. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.