Hurricane Debby hit the land near Steinhatchee, Florida today. Steinhatchee is located on the Big Bend coast of Florida, which could be in for a very wet week.
John Cangialosi, a hurricane specialist at the National Hurricane Center said, “That part of the coast is a very vulnerable spot”. Residents in this area should expect severe flooding, 80 mph winds, and nearly 20 inches of rain in the next few days.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has been on top of things and giving updates throughout the weekend. On Sunday at the state Emergency Operations Center DeSantis said, “This is a big storm. I mean, you’re going to have rain that will be far beyond the center of the storm…prepare for that. Just because you’re not in the eye of the storm does not mean you are not going to have major impacts.”
He then returned on Monday and gave a more specific warning to Floridians, “The most important thing to do is to just protect yourself and protect your family, don’t go out into this storm, don’t drive on the roads particularly when they are flooded…that is the number one way we will see fatalities.”
President Joe Biden has also been of assistance, on Sunday he authorized an emergency declaration to offer federal support to enhance Florida’s efforts in managing Hurricane Debby.
Florida is not the only state that could be affected, Debby is expected to move its way up the coast later in the week. Major coastal cities like Savannah, Georgia, and Hilton Head, South Carolina could see up to 30 inches of rain from Tuesday to Saturday.
