02:09
Debby downgraded but threats for flooding, tornadoes remain
Debby was downgraded to a tropical depression on Thursday but its potentially dangerous impacts remain as its remnants impact the mid-Atlantic and Northeast.
WILMINGTON, N.C. – Tropical Storm Debby claimed another life Thursday following its second landfall near Bulls Bay, South Carolina, overnight. As the storm slowly moves up the Eastern Seaboard, it is unleashing a dangerous flood and tornado threat for millions of Americans.
FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Team located the body of a missing person on Lloyd Road in Lucama, North Carolina, according to Stephen Mann, director of communications for Wilson County, who confirmed the fatality to FOX Weather. The person's house collapsed on them during a tornado early Thursday morning.
This brings the death toll from Debby to seven people.
Springfield Middle School in Lucama also suffered extensive damage from what was likely the same twister.
Wilson County Schools Superintendent Lane Mills told FOX Weather that the damage to the school was heartbreaking. The tornado appears to have hit the 6th- and 7th-grade halls the hardest, where sections of the roof and walls were missing or compromised.
"I am thankful that students and staff were not in the building during the time of the storm," Mills said. "This situation will be ongoing, and we don’t yet know the full extent of the damage, but we will be sharing information and next steps with our families and staff as we can."
05:27
Raw video: Springfield Middle School in Wilson County, NC damaged by tornado
Video of Springfield Middle School in Wilson County, North Carolina, shows major damage to the school.
Additionally, the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, issued Flash Flood Warnings Thursday morning for several counties in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina.
Emergency management reported thunderstorms producing heavy rain in Bladenboro, North Carolina, just before 5 a.m. ET after 5-8 inches of rain had fallen, flooding all roadways into Bladenboro. Bladen County Emergency Services issued a voluntary evacuation order for residents in and around Bladenboro.
00:51
Watch: Entire town of Bladenboro, NC under water as Debby makes landfall
Emergency management reported thunderstorms producing heavy rain in Bladenboro just before 5 a.m. ET after between 5-8 inches of rain had fallen, flooding all roadways into Bladenboro.
While on patrol in Bladen County, two deputies were nearly struck by a large tree that fell across Highway 87. Both deputies walked away with no injuries. However, the patrol car suffered a busted windshield. The sheriff's office said the deputies were able to save multiple vehicles from hitting the tree head-on.
"This is an example of why you do not need to be on the roads unless it is necessary," deputies said. "Law enforcement throughout Bladen County are always taking extra precautions to keep the residents as safe as possible."
While on patrol, a Bladen County deputy's vehicle occupied by two deputies was nearly missed by a large tree that fell Wednesday eveing.
(Bladen County Sheriff's Office)
Debby's heavy rain and wind have also caused the PGA to postpone the first round of the Wyndham Championship at the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, until Friday.
President Joe Biden has approved emergency declarations for Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. These declarations authorize FEMA to provide federal assistance to save lives, protect property and ensure public health and safety.
What is the forecast for Debby?
After making its initial landfall along Florida’s Big Bend on Monday morning as a Category 1 hurricane, Debby dumped more than 20 inches of rain, sent feet of storm surge flooding into Southwest Florida and knocked out power to more than 300,000 customers in the Sunshine State at the height of the storm.
EXCLUSIVE ANALYSIS: GET THE LATEST FROM BRYAN NORCROSS
However, Debby is far from done.
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Waves crash ashore on Carolina Beach in Pleasure Island, North Carolina, on Wednesday. (Robert Ray)
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Waves crash ashore on Carolina Beach in Pleasure Island, North Carolina, on Wednesday. (Robert Ray)
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Crews work to help water drain as homes are flooded in the Tremont Park neighborhood August 6, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Megan Varner)
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Homes are flooded in the Tremont Park neighborhood August 6, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Megan Varner)
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A man walks on a flooded street due to Tropical Storm Debby on August 06, 2024 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo)
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Houses are seen in a flooded street due to Tropical Storm Debby on August 6, 2024 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo)
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A street is flooded by Tropical Storm Debby on August 6, 2024, in Charleston, South Carolina. (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo)
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Power line crews come out to help people who are experiencing difficulty with their power August 6, 2024 in Savannah, Georgia. (Megan Varner)
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STATESBORO, GEORGIA - AUGUST 7: Homes in the Allen Circle neighborhood are underwater after excessive rains caused flooding on August 7, 2024 in Statesboro, Georgia. Tropical Storm Debby has stalled over the South East, causing flooding and power outages throughout the region. (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images) (Photo by Megan Varner/Getty Images)
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Flooding along the Edisto River due to Tropical Storm Debby in South Carolina. (S.C. Dept. of Natural Resources)
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A U-Haul rental center is flooded after the passage of Tropical Storm Debby in Savannah, Georgia, on August 8, 2024. Tropical Storm Debby made its second landfall in the United States on August 8, the National Hurricane Center said, days after it lashed southeastern parts of the country, leaving at least six dead. Debby made landfall near Bulls Bay South Carolina, about 20 miles (35 kilometres) northeast of Charleston, the NHC said in an morning advisory, warning of major floods in parts of the Carolinas and Western Virginia. (Photo by CHRISTIAN MONTERROSA/AFP via Getty Images)
Heavy rainfall across portions of southeastern North Carolina and eastern South Carolina is expected to persist through Friday, leading to areas of considerable flooding, the National Hurricane Center said.
WATERLOGGED NORTHEAST BRACES FOR DEBBY'S WRATH AS REGION FACES POTENTIALLY LIFE-THREATENING FLOOD THREAT
NOAA’s Weather Prediction Center has issued a Level 4 flood risk, the highest threat on its scale, for parts of southeastern and north-central North Carolina and western Virginia on Thursday. The flood risk shifts into the Northeast on Friday.
Here's a look at the rain totals still to come from Debby.
(FOX Weather)
As Debby continues to move farther inland on Thursday, it will bring with it the worst of the flooding. The current forecast is for widespread rainfall of 3-6 inches, with localized amounts up to 15 inches, across portions of southeastern and north-central North Carolina, including Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte and Fayetteville.
01:53
Large alligator strolls across South Carolina road during Tropical Storm Debby
A large alligator was seen crossing a road in Hilton Head Island, South Carolina as Tropical Storm Debby drenched the region on Monday, footage shows.
A few tornadoes are likely in central and eastern North Carolina and southern and central Virginia. Numerous rivers are expected to rise into moderate to major flood stages.
Due to the threat, a Tornado Watch was issued for much of Virginia, Maryland and North Carolina through the evening.
The watch box includes the nation's capitol, which is active into the mornining hours of Friday.
Starting Friday, the storm system will finally get a kick north, and heavy rain will spread all the way into the Northeast, the FOX Forecast Center said. Pockets of significant flooding will be possible Friday and Saturday from the Carolinas all the way into Maine.
