NOS news•
Tropical Storm Debbie has killed at least four people in the United States. The storm is bringing heavy rain and strong winds to the state of Florida.
Debbie hit Florida yesterday with sustained winds of about 80 miles per hour, the US National Hurricane Center (NHC) said. Over land, the cyclone weakened to a tropical storm.
Truck driver dies after losing control in rain near Tampa A 13-year-old boy died after a tree fell on his house. A 38-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy died in a car accident caused by the storm.
Some roads were flooded and many trees and power poles were downed. Millions of homes are without electricity.
Georgia and South Carolina
In states along the U.S. Southeast coast and further north, residents are bracing for Debbie. US meteorologists expect the worst is yet to come.
Florida’s governor warns of the storm’s effects:
Hurricane Debbie caused flooding and power outages in Florida
Storm Debbie is expected to cross the states of Georgia and South Carolina next night (Dutch time). Governors of those states have declared a state of emergency. Meteorologists are expecting at least 50 centimeters of rain, with some places getting as much as 75 centimeters.
“We have to prepare for the worst,” Hilton Head Island Mayor Alan Perry said, “and if that happens, we’ll see something we’ve never seen before.” According to the weather forecast, heavy rain will continue till Saturday.
In Georgia and South Carolina, residents are preparing for approaching water with sandbags:
Americans are preparing for Hurricane Debbie, which is already causing a major storm