Tropical Storm Debby sweeps over Florida's Gulf Coast
Hurricane Debby was downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall. Nevertheless, it has caused severe damage and flooding along Florida's Gulf Coast. At least five have been reported dead as the storm heads north.
Shredded sails
A sailboat damaged by the storm was pushed up against the quay in Tampa Bay. Hurricane Debby made landfall early Monday morning local time. it was soon downgraded from a Category 1 hurricane to a tropical storm, but even so, it still reached wind speeds of up to 130 km/h (80.8 mph).
No further travel possible
In Wimauma, a small town near Tampa, a road was swept away by the water masses. Florida Governor Ron DeSantis stressed that the storm would continue to pose a "constant threat" in the coming days. According to media reports, several people have lost their lives so far.
Flooded homes
Residents in Largo got wet feet when water seeped into some of their homes. According to the online US power outage tracker poweroutage.us, Tropical Storm Debby caused blackouts in more than 300,000 households. Over the weekend, authorities had ordered evacuations for some areas in Citrus County in northwestern Florida.
Widespread damage
The floods not only leaked into homes, but cars as well. This man is scooping water out of his car with a measuring cup. Others used towels and even shovels to salvage their vehicles.
A touch of adventure
Three young people drive through the flooded streets on a quad bike. It is not uncommon for alligators to stray into flooded areas. Tropical Storn Debby has brought extremely heavy rainfall. Catastrophic flooding is expected for the rest of the week.
Tropical Storm Debby moves further north
Aside from catastrophic flooding, the storm's wind speeds have also been cause for concern. Numerous trees have been blown over, obstructing roads. And according to local media, one teenager was killed near the town of Fanning Springs when a tree fell on his mobile home. The storm is now moving north, toward the states of Georgia and South Carolina.