Lawmakers calling for federal help to remove storm debris
44 days ago
Members of Florida’s congressional delegation signed a joint letter on Monday calling for President Joe Biden to have FEMA approve the state’s request for Public Assistance Category A, which refers to debris removal.
“We appreciate the approval of Public Assistance Category B (Emergency Protective Measures) but believe that Category A (Debris Removal) is critical to ensuring the safety and recovery of our communities in the aftermath of the storm,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Hurricane Debby continues to bring severe weather conditions, including high winds, heavy rainfall, and flooding, posing a significant threat to public safety and infrastructure,” they added. They added Category A approval can “efficiently mobilize resources, coordinate debris removal efforts, and mitigate the risks associated with post-storm debris.”
Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) and Reps. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.), Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Neal Dunn (R-Fla.), Vern Buchanan (R-Fla.), Michael Waltz (R-Fla.), Gus Bilirakis (R-Fla.), Daniel Webster (R-Fla.), Greg Steube (R-Fla.), Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.), Cory Mills (R-Fla.), Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.), Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.), C. Scott Franklin (R-Fla.), John Rutherford (R-Fla.), Bill Posey (R-Fla.), Mat Gaetz (R-Fla.), Darren Soto (D-Fla.), Kathy Castor (D-Fla.), Maxwell Frost (D-Fla.), Lois Frankel (D-Fla.), Frederica Wilson (D-Fla.), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-Fla.), Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), Brian Mast (R-Fla.), Aaron Bean (R-Fla.), and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) signed the letter.
Dunn said the Category A approval is “critical to ensuring communities in my district and throughout the state can safely recover from this storm” in a post on X.
Flood warning for northern Florida
44 days ago
Gov. Ron DeSantis has warned of expected flooding in northern Florida as former Hurricane Debby passes out of the state.
The Florida Division of Emergency Management, DeSantis said, “has completed 435 storm related missions and they are currently in the process of completing another 400 more.”
Additionally, said DeSantis, there are 250,000 Floridians without power, though more than 450,000 accounts are back on since the beginning of the storm.
Debby is now moving on to Georgia and South Carolina.
Florida AG activates price gouging hotline
44 days ago
The office of Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has activated a hotline to accept reports of “extreme price increases on essential commodities,” also known as “price gouging.”
Florida Department of Emergency Management (FLDEM) Executive Director Kevin Guthrie announced the hotline during an afternoon press conference with Gov. Ron DeSantis.
"After a disaster, scammers often attempt to take advantage of survivors. I encourage everyone impacted by Debby to be vigilant and report any suspicious activity,” Guthrie said.
He urged residents to call (866) 966-7226 if they witness attempts at price gouging.
"In this same vein, I want to make sure that people are not falling victim to scammers when it comes to contractor licensing. The governor has declared a state of emergency, and therefore it is a third-degree felony to do any unlicensed contracting in an emergency," Guthrie said.
“If you see something, please call us and let us know."
Guthrie told residents to visit myFloridalicense.com to check a contractor’s license to verify its authenticity.
“Please don't fall for scams. If it's too good to be true [and] somebody's asking you for a cash deposit, that is most likely a scam. Please do not do that, give no one cash inside of a disaster,” he said.
Florida deploys equipment, personnel to aid in storm-related rescues, humanitarian aid
44 days ago
The Sunshine State deployed rescue teams and personnel with needed supplies ahead of Hurricane Debby’s arrival, according to the office of Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis.
The Florida Department of Emergency Management (FDEM) issued more than 670,000 water bottles, more than 287,000 ready-to-eat meals, more than 156,000 sandbags, more than 17,000 tarps, and 120 cots, all for use by residents in need and first responders.
The Florida National Guard mobilized up to 3,500 guardsmen and activated equipment for rescues, including nine shallow-water vessels, 10 all-terrain vehicles, two amphibious rescue vehicles, and seven search-and-rescue crews.
The Florida Department of Health deployed more than 100 emergency vehicles, including ambulances.
The state’s Department of Transportation readied more than 1,200 generators, more than 230 trucks and pieces of heavy equipment, and almost 70 pumps.
Harris postpones Friday campaign rally in Savannah due to storm
44 days ago
Vice President Kamala Harris has postponed a campaign stop planned for Friday in Savannah, Georgia, due to impacts from Hurricane Debby, officials with her presidential campaign said Monday.
Harris is embarking on a tour of battleground states this week, starting in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on Tuesday.
Ahead of that rally, she is expected to name her running mate from a list that includes Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.), Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker, and Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.
On Friday, Harris earned enough delegates to become the presumptive presidential nominee for the Democratic Party, Democratic National Committee (DNC) Chair Jaime Harrison. The DNC virtual voting process ends today.
The campaign has not announced a new date for Harris’s planned appearance in Savannah.
Debby reduced to Tropical Storm, turns to Georgia, South Carolina
45 days ago
Debby is once again a Tropical Storm as it moves deeper into the Florida Panhandle, according to the National Hurricane Center’s (NHC) 11 a.m. advisory.
Maximum sustained winds have dropped to 70 mph, and the storm’s ground speed has slowed to 8 mph. Debby is expected to make a slow, northeast crawl over the next few days as a tropical storm, reaching North Carolina by Friday, Aug. 9.
Flooding and catastrophic rainfall continue to be among the most critical concerns.
“Debby is expected to produce rainfall totals of 6 to 12 inches, with maximum amounts of 18 inches, across portions of central and northern Florida, as well as central and northeast North Carolina through Wednesday morning,” the NHC said. “This rainfall will likely result in areas of considerable flash and urban flooding, with significant river flooding expected.
“Across portions of southeast Georgia, the coastal plain of South Carolina, and southeast North Carolina, 10 to 20 inches of rainfall, with local amounts [of up to] to 30 inches, are expected through Saturday morning. This potentially historic rainfall will likely result in areas of catastrophic flooding.”
Radar shows Debby’s outer bands covering Georgia and South Carolina.
Active to extreme flooding—especially river flooding—have been observed and forecast in North Central Florida as well as eastern Georgia and South Carolina.
Tropical storm watches and warnings are discontinued for the southern half of the Florida Gulf Coast south of Longboat Key and for portions of the panhandle west of Indian Pass.
However, flooding and more than a foot of rain were reported in parts of southwest Florida and hazardous weather is expected to continue in the area as the tail end of Debby makes its way northeast.
Storm surge warnings were also discontinued for west of the Ochlockonee River and Indian Pass. However, they remain in effect between Longboat Key and the Ochlockonee River, which includes Tampa Bay.
Hurricane Debby moves inland, starts slow crawl to Carolinas
45 days ago
Hurricane Debby continues its push deeper into the Florida Panhandle after making landfall in the Big Bend region around 7 a.m. EDT on Aug. 5.
In its 8 a.m. intermediate advisory, the National Hurricane Center (NHC) stated Debby is “expected to bring major flooding over the southeastern U.S. during the next few days.”
Hurricane Debby had reached maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, making it a Category 1 hurricane.
Hurricane-force winds (74 mph or greater) extend 25 miles out from the storm’s center and tropical-storm-force winds (39 mph to 73 mph) extend 140 miles out from its center.
The National Weather Service has issued flash flood warnings across the Gulf Coast and the NHC is predicting storm surge in the Big Bend to reach up to 10 feet.
Radar imagery shows the storm's outerbands already descending on the Atlantic Coast, bringing wind, rain, and storm surge to cities including Jacksonville, Florida, Savannah, Georgia, and Charleston, South Carolina.
The NHC’s 8 a.m. track shows Hurricane Debby becoming an incredibly slow northeast-bound Tropical Storm that won't reach North Carolina until Saturday, Aug. 10.
“Across portions of southeast Georgia, the coastal plain of South Carolina, and southeast North Carolina, 10 to 20 inches of rainfall, with local amounts to 30 inches, are expected through Saturday morning,” the NHC states. “This potentially historic rainfall will likely result in areas of catastrophic flooding.”
The NHC’s next complete advisory on Hurricane Debby will be posted at 11 a.m. EDT.
People look out at the gathering storm before the possible arrival of Tropical Storm Debby, which is strengthening as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico on August 04, 2024 in Cedar Key, Florida. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images)
Floridians told to expect possible 10-day rain event
45 days ago
TAMPA, Fla.—Officials told Floridians to stay off the roads as Hurricane Debby made landfall in the Florida Panhandle on Aug. 5.
“Now that Hurricane Debbie is making landfall, the most important thing to do is to just protect yourself and protect your family,” said Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis during a morning briefing.
“Don't go out into the storm. Don't drive on the roads particularly when they're flooded.”
There has been “significant storm surge,” extreme rainfall, and flooding in various parts of Florida, the governor said.
DeSantis was joined in the state’s Emergency Operations Center by the executive director of Florida’s Division of Emergency Management, Kevin Guthrie, who said that 10 to 12 inches of rain has already been reported in parts of Southwest Florida, specifically Sarasota and Manatee counties.
“We expect to have several rivers and streams go into major flood stage,” Guthrie said. “So please be careful if you live along those areas. Some of these areas will continue to receive upwards of 15 to 20 inches of rain all of that will drain into the river basins.
“This is going to be an event that is going to be probably here for the next five to seven days, maybe as long as 10 days depending on how much rainfall we get,” Guthrie said.
The Sunshine Skyway Bridge and the Howard Franklin Bridge in the Tampa Bay Area are closed, according to DeSantis. There is significant road flooding across the state with some accidents already being reported, and one hydroplaning incident.
“The number one way … we will see fatalities is by people being out on the roads and hydroplaning or having other problems,” DeSantis said. “So do not go walk or drive into flooded roadways. There are hazards there. They're dangerous. We want everybody to be safe.”
DeSantis said that some emergency response teams could start getting out into the affected areas “maybe later today.”
Guthrie said his team will also begin moving resources to the Sarasota–Bradenton Area. It's unlikely they'll be able to fly resources into areas today, he said, but "if you look at some of the places in the Big Bend that's obviously accessible via ground transportation, so we may do that.”
