Tropical Storm Debby Marking Its Departure from the US
Major relief emanates from across four states today, as what’s left of Tropical Storm Debby stars to move out of the United States. Although sunny skies emerging are a welcome sight, over 100,000 homes and businesses remain without power. The storm, initially arriving in Florida as a hurricane, spent a significant part of the week producing tornadoes, flooding, damage to property, and unfortunate loss of life as it traversed up the East Coast.
Flood Warnings Persist
Despite the relief, a flood warning is still in effect until later tonight in a small region of northern New York, which was hit by up to 7 inches (18 centimeters) of rain. According to the National Weather Service, while the water levels are receding slowly, many roads are still underwater. Power cuts continue to affect nearly 170,000 customers in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont, as shown by data from PowerOutage.us. Some utilities have projected that power restoration could take several days. Just over half of the power outages occurred in Ohio, where the storm-related damage included tornadoes that severely affected the northeastern part of the state on Wednesday.
Trails of Destruction
Furthermore, Tropical Storm Debby continued to create havoc on its last day over the US before shifting its course toward Canada. On Friday, the south-central region of New York and the north-central region of Pennsylvania experienced a massive rainfall, leading to evacuations and rescues by helicopter. Even though the post-tropical cyclone continued to drop rain on New England and southern Quebec on Friday night, weather conditions showed improvement by Saturday morning as the system continued its northeastward movement.
Suffering Widespread in Rural Areas
Some of the most severe flash flooding in New York took place in villages and hamlets in a primarily rural area south of the Finger Lakes. In Steuben County, bordering Pennsylvania, officials had to enforce an evacuation order for the towns of Jasper, Woodhull, and part of Addison. Residents were trapped as the floodwaters rendered multiple roads impassable. For emergency workers, Saturday morning brought with it the tedious task of clearing debris and assisting residents in clearing their flood-impacted basements.
Rescue Efforts Continue
In north-central Pennsylvania, in Tioga County, search and rescue operations continue for one person who is yet to be accounted for following severe flooding in the Knoxville region that resulted in dozens of rescues. In Westfield, Fire Chief William Goltz of Crary Hose Co. reports that rescue teams had to conduct between 30 to 50 water rescues using boats, supported by two helicopters. Some rescue workers found themselves needing rescue after becoming trapped while attempting to assist others. Nearly 100 people were forced to relocate, with several shelters being opened. Local authorities are encouraging people to document the damage prior to commencing clean up efforts and share any images of the flooding they may have captured.
In conclusion, although the storm is moving out, the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby is expected to linger, causing both physical damage and emotional trauma for the impacted communities. Hope remains, though, as states and federal agencies come together to rebuild and recover in the wake of this storm.
