Author: Lisa Lasker and David Sharp
BARRY, Vt. (AP) — The remnants of Debbie accelerated northward Friday, creating a multi-day path along the East Coast with heavy downpours, flash flooding and the threat of tornadoes. At least eight people died.
The worst flooding is expected in New York's Adirondacks and New England states, including Vermont, which is recovering from previous flooding. Accuweather Chief Meteorologist Jon Porter said there is an increased threat of tornadoes and flooding along the route, including along the busy I-95 corridor.
“Debbie's final chapter will present multiple threats, and it's a dangerous threat,” Porter said.
Vermont Gov. Phil Scott warned of severe damage in the state, including parts of Vermont that were already inundated and hit twice by flash floods last month. Flooding hit the northeastern part of the state on July 30, washing away bridges, destroying homes and washing out roads in the rural town of Lyndon. Three weeks ago, the aftermath of Hurricane Beryl caused deadly flooding. President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for Vermont.
The governor said Vermont modified its state of emergency to ensure more help, including National Guard vehicles and rescue boats from neighboring states.
The National Hurricane Center said Debbie was downgraded to a tropical depression late Thursday afternoon and a post-tropical cyclone on Friday. It made landfall on Florida's Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane early Monday. Debbie then made its second landfall as a tropical storm in South Carolina early Thursday.
The National Hurricane Center said that as of 11 a.m. Friday, Debbie was centered between Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Albany, New York, moving rapidly northeast at 37 mph (59 kph).
At least eight people have died related to Debbie. The latest victim was identified as Hilda Windsor Jones, a 78-year-old woman who died when a tree fell during a storm Thursday night, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office said. She was home alone, her mobile home in North Carolina falling apart.
Rainwater flooded parts of downtown Annapolis, Maryland, including the U.S. Naval Academy campus, on Friday. Flash flooding hit the South Carolina town of Moncks Corner, where one of Debbie's early bands sparked a tornado on Tuesday.
The National Weather Service said fast-moving water as high as 3 feet (0.9 meters) rushed into the city of Moncks Corner, about 30 miles (48 kilometers) from Charleston. In surrounding Berkeley County, emergency responders conducted 33 high-water rescues.
In North Carolina, first responders went door-to-door urging people to evacuate a community in the town of Haw River, where the river was expected to crest Friday afternoon. The town is about 60 miles (97 kilometers) northwest of Raleigh.
To the north, Vermonters are bracing for the storm.
Rick Dente, owner of Dente's Market in Barrie, Vermont, used plastic and sandbags to protect his business as the rain poured down Friday. “There's nothing you can do,” he said.
Jaqi Kincaid, who has been hit by flooding twice in Lyndonville, Vermont, said previous storms destroyed her garage, felled a 120-foot (36-meter) tree and demolished fence. “We do a lot of this,” she told reporters, clasping her hands as if in prayer.
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Sharp reported from Portland, Maine. Associated Press writers included Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Lea Skene in Baltimore; and Jonathan Drew in Los Angeles, North Carolina Profitable market.
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