PHILADELPHIA — The storm formerly known as Hurricane Debby continued to cause problems in parts of the U.S. on Sunday, with flood warnings still in effect in North Carolina and thousands without power in New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania.
Debby hit Florida as a hurricane on August 5, and over the next week, it brought tornadoes, floods, and destruction along the East Coast, before moving into Canada on Saturday.
Although some rivers had receded by Sunday, flood warnings remained in place in central and eastern North Carolina, where more thunderstorms were expected in the coming days. The National Weather Service warned that the already saturated ground could lead to additional flash flooding in the coastal Carolinas.
In Lumberton, North Carolina, a person died after driving into floodwaters on a closed road, according to a Facebook post by local authorities. What was hoped to be a rescue quickly turned into a recovery mission. Officials reminded everyone not to drive into flooded roads and to follow road closure signs.
In New Bern, North Carolina, business was still bustling at the Halftime Pub and Grub on Sunday afternoon, despite a flash flood warning. “It’s thundering, sprinkling, and pretty dark,” said server Chastity Bettis. “It’s going to rain hard soon. If you live here, you’re used to hurricane season, but the last couple of weeks have been rough.”
In South Carolina, the National Weather Service’s Charleston office warned that up to 3 to 4 inches of additional rain could fall on Sunday, potentially causing flash flooding.
Even in areas that were drier, more than 35,000 homes and businesses in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont were still without power as of Sunday afternoon. Ohio was particularly hard hit, with 23,000 outages remaining after Debby-related storms, including tornadoes, swept through the northeastern part of the state on Wednesday.
Debby’s final day in the U.S. brought heavy rain and flash flooding to parts of New York, Pennsylvania, and New England on Friday, leading to evacuations and rescues.
In Canisteo, New York, the Moss Vanwie Farm was devastated by floodwaters, which destroyed about three-fourths of the 1,200-acre farm, including crops and hay used to feed livestock. “This is total devastation,” said Stacey Urban, whose family has run the farm for about 37 years. While the family hasn’t fully assessed the damage, they confirmed that their 150 cows and 200 young animals are safe, though the farm equipment may be damaged.
Recovery efforts were ongoing in Steuben County, New York, where officials distributed water and clean-up kits to residents affected by the floods. The Red Cross opened a shelter for flood victims and planned to keep it open until Monday. The county declared a state of emergency on Friday and evacuated several towns as floodwaters covered homes, farms, and roads.
In Tioga County, Pennsylvania, emergency teams continued to assess damage and search for a person missing since the flooding. Faith-based disaster relief groups were also mobilizing to help.
Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring another potential tropical storm in the Atlantic, which could develop into a tropical depression soon and approach parts of the Greater Antilles by midweek.