The deaths of at least four people, including two minors, have been blamed on the storm as Debby’s wind and rain blasted Florida.
The driver of a semi-truck died after his 18-wheeler veered off I-75 into the Tampa Bypass Canal on the morning of Aug. 5, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office. The truck was submerged in 14 feet of water and divers recovered the driver’s body from the cab, the agency said in a video posted to X.
"We send our condolences to the driver's family," Sheriff Chad Chronister wrote in the post. "Even the harshest conditions didn't stop our deputies working swiftly in this tragic situation."
Members of Facebook groups, such as the East Coast Equine Emergency and Disaster Response/ Fleet of Angels, are offering shelter to horse owners needing to evacuate their animals from the path of Tropical Storm Debby.
Dozens of horse owners in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina posted that they’re offering stalls or pasture space on high ground. Some offered RV hook-ups, too, or help transporting others’ animals.
Many made it clear that they’re offering the help for free.
President Joe Biden received a briefing on his administration’s ongoing response to Tropical Storm Debby, a White House Official said on Aug. 5.
“Our administration is in touch with officials from Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina, and FEMA has deployed staff to Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina to assist as needed,” a White House official told members of the press.
“We urge residents to remain cautious and listen to state and local officials.”
Linemen are working to restore power across Florida as Tropical Storm Debby creeps across the state after making landfall as a Category 1 hurricane.
More than 300,000 Floridians currently are without power, according to poweroutage.us. Most of the outages are concentrated in the Big Bend region and in north central Florida. But linemen already are climbing into bucket trucks and working, despite ongoing rain and wind, to fix lines affected areas.
Power companies across Florida, such as Duke Energy, had linemen staged to respond to the storm.
A Waffle House in Alachua, Florida, remained open and at full capacity on the morning of Aug. 5 as the eye of Hurricane Debby spun no more than 30 miles away.
The Category 1 hurricane caused other restaurants to shut down, including Burger King, Zaxby’s, and Wendy’s.
Even before it evolved from a tropical storm, Hurricane Debby delivered immense amounts of rain and wind across the Florida Gulf Coast and inland counties over the past few days. It has caused flooding from a combination of intense rainfall and storm surge that has shut down roadways, and therefore businesses, across the state.
