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Debby-Downer: August Hurricane Brings Flooding, Winds to Northern Florida
By Thomas Ehlers, Staff Writer
Hurricane Debby made landfall around 7 a.m. on Aug. 5 near Steinhatchee and Big Bend, bringing with it sustained winds of 80 mph and a 979 millibar reading on the barometer.
A Category 1 storm on the Saffir-Simpson Scale, Debby might not have sounded alarm bells for seasoned weather-watchers, but the fourth named storm and second hurricane of the 2024 Atlantic hurricane season caused extensive damage in the Sunshine State and beyond.
A day before its Florida landfall, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration for the state, which granted federal assistance to 61 counties, a move that followed Governor Ron DeSantis’ emergency declaration three days prior.
Several areas in its path were still reeling from Hurricane Idalia, a Category 3 storm that hit nearly a year prior. Idalia brought record-breaking storm surge from Big Bend to Tampa Bay, spawning a tornado outbreak in the process.
“Eleven months ago we were in the Big Bend region on the heels of Hurricane Idalia,” said DeSantis at a press conference after the storm. “With Hurricane Debby we had a similar track. Fortunately, Debby was not as powerful as Idalia was, and consequently, the debris and the damage that we sustained with Idalia was not matched by this storm.”
Five days after landfall, U.S. Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) and U.S. Representatives Kat Cammack (R-FL), Greg Steube (R-FL), and Vern Buchanan (R-FL) penned a letter to the White House for an additional declaration and extension of federal funding.
“Unfortunately, this hurricane will continue to impact the state for some time, and the full extent of flooding will not be known for a couple of weeks as Debby continues to produce rain to the north,” the legislators’ letter said. “These rains will deluge the estuaries and watersheds that feed into Florida’s rivers. Promptly approving this declaration request will allow Floridians to be better prepared for the recovery phase.”
Biden declared a major disaster the same day, opening doors to grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses and other programs to help citizens and business owners recover from storm damages. Two weeks after the system, the Florida Division of Emergency Management (FDEM) opened Disaster Recovery Centers in Dixie, Sarasota, Taylor and Manatee counties to provide one-on-one help to Florida residents impacted by the storm.
After the Storm
The state’s power infrastructure took the brunt of Debby’s wrath, as nearly 17,000 lineworkers assisted with restoration efforts that affected more than 682,000 accounts that lost power during the storm. A day after landfall, Florida Power & Light alone had restored nearly 250,000 customers in 34 counties, while its smart grid technology helped avoid another 85,000 outages.
FDEM pumped more than 194 million gallons of floodwaters from impacted communities, debuting more than 9,400 feet of flood protection devices in the process. Through the course of the storm, FDEM deployed more than 1.6 million bottles of water, 1.1 million stable meals, more than 17,000 tarps, 11,000 hygienic kits and 156,000 sandbags.
Aside from isolated wind damage and localized flooding, the state’s transportation system sustained minimal damages. The Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) assessed more than 10,000 lane miles for damages, and 181 crews cleared 6,596 miles of roadway to ensure safe passages for automobile and truck traffic. Effects from flooding could be felt for days, as a number of state routes and U.S. highways remained closed for flooding that affected multiple or all lanes of traffic.
FDOT deployed more than 1,200 generators and nearly 70 pumps in the field to complete its work, and it waived size and weight restrictions for commercial traffic transporting essential goods, including fuel, emergency equipment, supplies and other commodities.
Tallahassee International Airport (TLH) and Gainesville Regional Airport (GNV) announced closures on Aug. 5, but both reopened after conditions improved. American Airlines canceled all of its Aug. 5 flights from GNV, while Jacksonville International (JAX), Orlando International (MCO), Southwest Florida International (RSW), Orlando Sanford International (SFB), and Sarasota Bradenton International (SRQ) each saw hundreds of cancellations and delays throughout Aug. 5 and the following days.
Seaports across the area braced for Debby’s effects, as Port Tampa Bay, Port St. Pete, Seaport Manatee and Port of Port St. Joe closed waterside operations, while Port Panama City stayed open but denied inbound vessels. Similarly, rail infrastructure and operations under Debby’s path shuttered during the storm but few damages were reported aside from flooding.
Sunset Beach, Belleair Beach and Indian Rocks Beach in Tampa saw massive beach erosion from the storm, with Pinellas County beaches estimated to have lost 300,000 cubic yards of sand. Tampa’s W. Prescott Street, a historic brick roadway, saw damage that needed immediate repair.
In Alachua County, several sinkholes formed from Debby’s wrath. Near Bradenton, the Manatee River broke its 62-year record crest, reflective of the sheer amount of water the area saw. In Sarasota, police officers rescued hundreds of individuals from high water, as officials across the affected areas conducted similar operations.
Although clean up and recovery efforts continue, the outlook from state officials is a positive one.
“I appreciate all of the hard work everyone has put in,” DeSantis said. “We’re going to have issues we’re going to have to work through on this, but given what we’ve been through as a state in our history, this is clearly something that is going to be surmountable for us.”
