Debby triggers flash floods in Pennsylvania, New York
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A pedestrian walks through flood waters caused by rain from the remnants of Tropical Depression Debby in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia, on Aug 9.
PHOTO: EPA-EFE
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NEW YORK - The remnants of now-weakened tropical storm Debby triggered flash flooding in northern Pennsylvania and southern New York state that left dozens of people stranded in their homes on Aug 9, the authorities said.
Several people were rescued by boat and by helicopters across the region as Debby sped through the area, dumping several inches of rain on land that was already soaked from earlier this week.
In the borough of Westfield, Pennsylvania, about 273.6km north-west of Scranton, volunteer firefighters were working early on the afternoon of Aug 9 to evacuate several people from flooded homes as the local Cowanesque River soared to a record 3.96m.
“We’ve carried out upward of 30 rescues so far, and we’re continuing to search house to house,” said Fire Chief Bill Goltz from Westfield, which has a population of 1,100. “We’re evacuating the town. So far, we’ve had no deaths or injuries. But nearby towns have missing people.”
He added: “We’re in action right now. We have multiple people trapped.”
The US National Weather Service (NWS) issued tornado warnings for the area. Debby spawned deadly twisters earlier in the week and was expected to continue doing so before it blows out to sea on the afternoon of Aug 10.
The governors of Pennsylvania and New York issued disaster and emergency declarations to free up resources to assist the areas of northern Pennsylvania and southern New York, where flash floods left people stranded and in need of rescue.
The NWS issued flood warnings and tornado watches for parts of an area stretching from coastal Georgia to Vermont, as the storm moved northeast at 56 km an hour, considerably faster than earlier in the week.
Debby, a slow-moving storm for most of the week, has dropped as much as 63cm of rain on its march north and killed at least eight people.
Since making its first landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Florida’s Gulf Coast on Aug 5, Debby has submerged homes and roadways, and forced evacuations and water rescues as it slowly crawled up the Eastern Seaboard.
The weather service fielded reports of a handful of tornadoes since Aug 8. In Browns Summit, North Carolina, about 130km north-west of Raleigh, a 78-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on her mobile home, NBC affiliate WXII reported, citing law enforcement.
Earlier, a twister killed a man when his house collapsed in Wilson County in eastern North Carolina. It damaged at least 10 houses, a church and a school.
North and South Carolina have been hit hardest by Debby's prodigious rainfall.
Many homes and cars have been flooded due to excessive rains on Aug 7 in Statesboro, Georgia.
PHOTO: AFP
In the South Carolina town of Moncks Corner, swift-water rescue teams were mobilised on Aug 9 as dangerous flash flooding forced evacuations and the closure of an interstate highway.
Earlier in the week, a tornado buzzed through Moncks Corner, about 80km north of Charleston, flipping cars and wrecking a fast-food restaurant.
In Barre, Vermont, about 11 km south-east of the capital Montpelier, Mr Rick Dente spent his morning securing plastic tarp over the roof and surrounding the doors with sandbags at his family-owned store, Dente’s Market.
Vermont, which is under a state of federal emergency, has already faced a slew of rainstorms from a separate system that has washed out roads, damaged homes and swollen rivers and creeks with floodwaters.
The remnants of Debby could bring another 7.6cm or more rain, the weather service said.
“We’re worried,” said Mr Dente, thinking about the store that has been in the family since 1907, and he has run since 1972. Once a grocery store, it now caters mostly to tourists seeking antiques and keepsakes.
“Every time it rains, it’s worse,” he said. “I worry every time it rains.”
A floodwater is seen on a road as Tropical Storm Debby moves across South Carolina, in Marion, South Carolina, on Aug 8.
PHOTO: REUTERS
The weather caused delays at some airports in the region.
LaGuardia Airport in New York issued a ground delay just after 8am local time on Aug 9, and flights were delayed by an average of 82 minutes, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). In a post on social media, the airport warned passengers of flight disruptions and advised them to check in with their airlines regarding their flight status.
Kennedy International Airport and Newark Liberty International Airport were also experiencing delays ranging between 45 and 125 minutes, the FAA said. Boston Logan International Airport reported departure delays of 143 minutes, and authorities warned passengers to check with their airlines before arriving at the airport.
In Washington, flights to and from Ronald Reagan National Airport were facing delays, the FAA said.
Overnight, the storm system brought rain once again to coastal Carolina, escalating the flooding situation in the northern suburbs of Charleston, South Carolina. Some residents who thought the worst had already passed them woke to floodwaters in their homes. Showers or thunderstorms could return to coastal Carolina on Aug 9 afternoon.
“Make no mistake: This stubborn storm and its effects are not over,” Governor Roy Cooper of North Carolina said in a news conference on Aug 9. REUTERS, NYTIMES
