Ann Farkas walks through a flood-damaged home in Canisteo, NY, Friday, after the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby moved through the area, creating flash flooding conditions in some areas.
Craig Ruttle / AP
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Craig Ruttle / AP
PHILADELPHIA – The weather system formerly known as Hurricane Debby was not over with parts of the US Sunday as flood warnings remained in effect in North Carolina and thousands were without power in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
After hitting Florida as a hurricane on August 5, the storm spent nearly a week unleashing tornadoes and floods, destroying homes and taking lives along the East Coast before moving to Canada.
While many rivers have receded by Sunday, a flood warning remains in effect for central and eastern North Carolina, where more storms are possible over the next few days. With the ground already saturated from Debby, the National Weather Service said localized rain could cause additional flash flooding in the coastal Carolinas.
Authorities in Lumberton, NC, said in a Facebook post that one person was killed after driving into flooded roads that were closed and swept away. Officials did not identify the driver, but said that they hope to rescue the post-storm, speedy recovery.
“This should be repeated,” the agency said in the post. “Don’t drive onto flooded roads and follow closed road signs.”
In New Bern, North Carolina, business was brisk at the Halftime Pub and Grub restaurant Sunday afternoon after a flash flood warning was issued, server Chastity Bettis said.
A mobile home swept off its foundation appears to be about 1,000 feet from a property near a bridge over the Canisteo River, Friday, in Canisteo, NY, after the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby swept through the area.
Craig Ruttle / AP
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Craig Ruttle / AP
“Now, it’s thundering, sprinkling and quite dark so I would say it will start raining here pretty quickly,” she said. “When you live here, you’re used to hurricane season and things like that, but the last week or two we’ve had a really tough time.”
In South Carolina, the Charleston National Weather Service warned that as much as 3 to 4 inches of additional rain is possible in the afternoon and evening, and could lead to flash flooding. Showers and thunderstorms may develop in Charleston County down through 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 the tracking website PowerOutage.us. About 23,000 disruptions remain in Ohio, where storms associated with Debby including a tornado ripped through the northeastern part of the state on Wednesday.
Debby’s last day and night in the US drenched parts of New York, Pennsylvania and New England with rain and flash flooding on Friday, prompting evacuations and rescue efforts.
Stacey Urban, whose family owns Moss Vanwie Farm in Canisteo, New York, said the flood destroyed about three-quarters of its 1,200 acres, including about 400 acres of corn, 200 acres of soybeans and hundreds of other acres used for forage. cows and other animals.
“This is complete and total damage,” he said by phone Sunday as fire department officials were bailing out the basement of the flooded house. “We never thought this would happen.”
Urban said the family, which has operated the farm for about 37 years, has not had a chance to quantify the full damage, but said all 150 cows and 200 cows are safe and all farm equipment has been recovered.
“Is this all working,” he said. “The water is coming fast.”
Recovery efforts are underway in Steuben County in New York. Officials announced plans to distribute water bottles and cleaning kits to residents affected by flash floods on Sunday and Monday. The Red Cross also opened a shelter for flood victims at the Corning-Painted Post High School and plans to operate it until Monday.
The county, which straddles the Pennsylvania state line, declared a state of emergency on Friday and ordered the evacuation of several towns as flooding flooded homes, gardens and roads. The area has been hit by devastating flash floods in previous storms, including in 2021.
“Twice in three years, Tuscarora Creek has turned from a gentle stream into a raging beast,” county officials wrote in a post on the government’s Facebook page Sunday afternoon. “It’s just too much. The sun still rose on Saturday. Volunteers stay for breakfast. People from the four cities rolled up their sleeves, took a deep breath.
Officials in Tioga County in north-central Pennsylvania said Sunday morning that 10 teams of volunteer emergency services will go out to survey residents about the damage while responders continue to search for people missing since the flood.
“Please be kind to them, because these are volunteers… they work here at the 911 center, they’re fire, they’re police, they’re EMS, these are folks who dedicate their Sundays to help out,” said County Commissioner Marc Rice.
Faith-based disaster relief organizations are also mobilizing to help assess damage and provide assistance, state representative Clint Owlett said. “It’s going to be a big deal.”
Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center is tracking another potential tropical storm in the Atlantic. Officials said a tropical depression could develop over the next day or two and could approach parts of the Antilles by midweek.
