'Debby' leaves at least five dead as it passes through Florida and Georgia
The weather phenomenon arrived in the region with heavy rains and strong winds that left nearly 300,000 in Georgia and Florida without power. However, it has already dropped in intensity and the National Hurricane Center now lists it as a tropical storm.
Screenshot of storm 'Debby' as it passes through Florida on August 5, 2024.
"Debby" made landfall Monday morning in the state of Florida and since then its consequences have not ceased to be felt in the region.
The hurricane, which made landfall on the Big Bend coast, left at least four people dead as it passed through the Sunshine State, authorities reported.
The first victim was the driver of an 18-wheeler. The 64-year-old man driving, originally from New Albany, Mississippi, lost control of his vehicle around 2:30 a.m., the Florida Highway Patrol told NBC News.
The driver's body was recovered by Hillsborough County Fire Rescue who also recovered the truck and transported it to a Stepps Towing location for inspection.
A 13-year-old boy became the second victim of "Debby." As explained by the Levy County Sheriff's Office, the young boy died when a tree fell on a mobile home and authorities found his body when they responded to a call for help at 8 a.m.
There they found the boy "crushed inside the house." "Our thoughts and prayers are with this family as they deal with this tragedy," the sheriff's office said.
Dixie County, Florida, also recorded two storm deaths overnight Sunday: a 12-year-old boy and a 38-year-old woman.
Both were in a car when the woman lost control of the vehicle due to "inclement weather and wet roadway" and ended up striking the center median guardrail and eventually overturning and leaving the roadway.
As reported by the Florida Highway Patrol, both the female driver and the 12-year-old boy were killed immediately. The accident also claimed a third victim: a 14-year-old boy who was transported to UF Health with serious injuries.
In southern Georgia, Colquitt County Emergency Management reported the death of a 19-year-old man who died after a tree fell on his home. The accident occurred near the Florida-Georgia border.
300,000 without power in Florida and Georgia
The storm also wreaked havoc on the electricity supply. According to the specialized website Poweroutage.us, a total of 300,000 were without power in Florida and Georgia early Monday morning.
Specifically, according to this same website reported at 10:48 a.m. ET, a total of 297,281 were without power in the Sunshine State while another 24,099 were without power in Georgia.
Meanwhile, "Debby" continues to leave a trail through Florida but no longer as a category one hurricane. The National Hurricane Center assured, a few minutes ago, that the meteorological phenomenon had downgraded and was back to being categorized as a tropical storm:
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