PHILADELPHIA — The weather system formerly known as Hurricane Debbie continued to struggle to fully subside in parts of the U.S. on Sunday, prompting flood warnings in North Carolina and leaving thousands without power in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
After the hurricane struck Florida on Aug. 5, the storm caused tornadoes and flooding for nearly a week, damaging homes and claiming lives along the East Coast before moving into Canada on Saturday.
Many rivers had receded by Sunday, but flood warnings remained in effect for central and eastern North Carolina, where more thunderstorms are possible over the next few days. Debby has already soaked the ground, but the National Weather Service said localized heavy rains could cause additional flash flooding across the Coastal Carolinas.
Authorities in Lumberton, North Carolina, said in a Facebook post on Saturday that one person died after getting trapped in floodwaters on a closed road. Officials did not release the identity of the driver but said what was expected to be a post-storm rescue operation quickly turned into a recovery effort.
“Again, please never drive onto flooded roads and obey all road closure signs,” officials said in the post.
In New Bern, North Carolina, traffic was brisk at Halftime Pub and Grub restaurant shortly after the flood warning was issued Sunday afternoon, waiter Chastity Bettis said.
“Right now we have thunder and light rain and it’s pretty dark so I think it’s going to start raining heavily soon,” she said. “If you live here you’re used to hurricane season and conditions like this but it’s been pretty tough the last week or two.”
In South Carolina, the National Weather Service’s Charleston office warned that another 3 to 4 inches of rain was expected Sunday afternoon and evening, potentially causing flash flooding, and that showers and thunderstorms were possible across Charleston County, into Chatham County and inland, the office said.
Even in drier areas, more than 35,000 homes and businesses in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont were still without power as of Sunday afternoon, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us. About 23,000 power outages remained in hard-hit Ohio, where Debby-related storms and tornadoes ripped through the northeastern part of the state on Wednesday.
Debby’s final day and night across the U.S. brought rain and flash flooding to parts of New York, Pennsylvania and New England on Friday, prompting evacuations and rescue efforts.
A resident of Canistea, New York, walks through his home damaged by Tropical Storm Debby. Craig Ruttle/AP
Stacey Urban, owner of Moss Van Wee Farm in Canisteo, New York, said the floodwaters destroyed about three-quarters of her 1,200-acre farm, including about 400 acres of corn, 200 acres of soybeans and hundreds of acres of hay she used to feed her cows and other animals.
“This is total devastation,” she said by phone Sunday as fire department crews pumped water from the flooded basement of her home. “I never thought something like this would happen.”
Urban said his family, who have run the farm for about 37 years, haven’t had a chance to assess the full extent of the damage, but all of their 150 cows and 200 young cattle are safe and all of their farm equipment has been salvaged.
“Whether it all works out is another story,” she said. “The water came in quickly.”
Recovery efforts continue in Steuben County, upstate New York, where officials announced plans to distribute water bottles and cleaning kits to residents affected by flash flooding on Sunday and Monday. The Red Cross has also opened a shelter for flood victims at Corning Painted Post High School, which will operate through Monday.
The county, which sits along the Pennsylvania border, declared a state of emergency on Friday and ordered evacuations in several towns as floodwaters engulfed homes, farms and roads. The region has suffered devastating flash flooding in previous storms, including in 2021.
“For the second time in three years, the Tuscarora River has gone from a gentle current to a raging beast,” county officials posted on the government’s Facebook page Sunday afternoon. “This is just too bad. The sun was up again Saturday, volunteers were cooking breakfast, and people across four towns rolled up their sleeves and took a deep breath.”
Authorities in Tioga County, in north-central Pennsylvania, said Sunday morning that 10 teams of emergency service volunteers would be canvassing residents to assess the damage as they continued to search for people who have been missing since the flooding.
“Please be kind to them. They’re volunteers. They work here at the 911 center, they’re firefighters, police, paramedics. They’re dedicating their Sunday to helping you,” County Commissioner Mark Rice said.
State Rep. Clint Ouellette said faith-based disaster relief groups are also mobilizing to assess the damage and provide aid. “This is going to be a big thing,” he said.
Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center is monitoring the Atlantic for the possibility of a new tropical storm forming. Officials said a tropical depression was likely to form within the next day or two and could approach parts of the Greater Antilles by midweek.
