Storm Debby inundates U.S. coastal Georgia, South Carolina

Tropical Storm Debby inundated coastal Georgia and South Carolina with a deluge of rain on Tuesday that could bring "catastrophic flooding" to Charleston, Savannah and other cities in the southeastern United States, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) said.

At least six people have died in Florida and Georgia in the wake of the storm, which is expected to linger over the southeastern and mid-Atlantic coasts for days.

"Debby is expected to produce potentially historic rainfall totals of 10 to 20 inches (25 cm and 51 cm), with maximum amounts of 25 inches (63.5 cm), bringing areas of catastrophic flooding across portions of the eastern half of South Carolina, and southeast North Carolina through Friday," the NHC said.

The governors of those states have declared states of emergency.The storm featured 40-mile-per-hour (64 kph) winds as it chugged along slowly at 8 kph to the northeast, with its center located about 80 kilometers east of Savannah, Georgia, on Tuesday night. Heavy rainfall could cause flooding in parts of the mid-Atlantic through Sunday, the Miami-based center said.

More than 20 centimeters of rain has already fallen on Savannah and Valdosta, Georgia, the National Weather Service said. Charleston and Hilton Head, South Carolina, have received between 25 and 30 cm of rain so far, the weather service said, with more on the way.

Charleston Mayor William Cogswell said more than 61 cm of rain was expected in his city before the storm passes. Even at low tide, storm surges of between 1.2 and 1.8 meters will prevent floodwaters from draining into the sea, he said.

There are "not enough pumps in the world" to handle that much rain, Cogswell said late on Monday. He has since extended a citywide curfew until Wednesday morning.

"Nobody should be out on the streets in these conditions unless it is an absolute emergency," the mayor said.

About 80 km west of Charleston, fears of a breach at the McGrady Dam in Colleton County, part of the state's Lowcountry, prompted the county sheriff's office to warn residents to evacuate immediately on Tuesday.

Debby made landfall as a Category 1 hurricane in the Big Bend region of Florida's Gulf Coast on Monday morning, dumping 20 to 41 cm of rain in parts of central Florida, according to local reports. The storm has been blamed for five deaths in Florida and one near Valdosta, Georgia.

Savannah Mayor Van Johnson said the city could expect a "once-in-a-thousand-year" rain event.

"This will literally create islands in the city," Johnson said.

(Cover: Crews work to drain water as homes are flooded in the Tremont Park neighborhood in Savannah, Georgia, U.S., August 6, 2024. /CFP)