Hurricane Debby causes four deaths in Florida

SAN LUIS POTOSÍ, Mexico.- After making landfall as a hurricane in the Big Bend area, near Steinhatchee, a small community in Taylor County, on the northwest coast of Florida, Debby It was downgraded to a tropical storm, but caused at least four deaths in that state.

A report The National Hurricane Center (NHC) placed the storm at 30.5 N 82.9 W on Monday afternoon. Although it has weakened, at the time of impact, Debby had maximum sustained winds of about 130 km/h.

In a conference In a press conference on Monday afternoon, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis said the storm was responsible for four deaths in the territory.

A truck driver died on Interstate 75 in the Tampa area after losing control of his tractor-trailer, which rolled over a concrete wall and hung over the edge before the cab fell into the water below. Sheriff’s divers located the driver, a 64-year-old man from Mississippi, in the cab 40 feet below the surface, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

A 13-year-old boy died early this morning after a tree fell on a mobile home southwest of Gainesville, according to the Levy County Sheriff’s Office.

And in Dixie County, east of where the storm made landfall, a 38-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy were killed in a car crash on wet roads Sunday night. The Florida Highway Patrol said a 14-year-old boy who was a passenger was hospitalized with serious injuries.

Debby’s Affectations

Among the ravages caused by the freak meteorological, there are impacts at the main airports in the region. Delayed flights and cancellations left hundreds of passengers stranded at Miami International Airport (MIA) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL).

On Monday morning, more than 230,000 people in Florida were without power, according to PowerOutage.us. However, by midday, this number had risen to 350,000, when those affected in Georgia were added, according to Univision.

DeSantis had warned of dangerous storm surges that could affect coastal areas of Florida and other areas of the southeastern United States. “When the water rises, there are streets that can flood, that is dangerous,” he warned.

The governor declared a state of emergency and mobilized the National Guard to assist in evacuation and rescue operations. Shelters have been set up for those who need to leave their homes and seek shelter in safe areas.

The Tropical Storm Debby strengthened into a Category 1 hurricane as it approached Florida Sunday night.

Forecasters predicted that Debby’s heavy rains could bring catastrophic flooding to Florida, South Carolina and Georgia. A tornado warning was also in effect for parts of Florida and Georgia.

Debby is the fourth named storm of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season, preceded by Tropical Storm Alberto, Hurricane Beryl and Tropical Storm Chris, which formed in June.

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