CNN
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Rapidly rising floodwaters caused by extreme rains from Debbi are overwhelmed communities across the northeast, creating widespread danger.
A rare flash flood emergency – the most severe flood warning – was issued for parts of southern New York and northern Pennsylvania early Friday afternoon, warning of life-threatening and devastating flooding that trapped people in their homes and forced them to be evacuated by boat and helicopter.
Debby is moving quickly through the Northeast, bringing heavy rain, flooding and the threat of tornadoes for hundreds of miles east on Friday. Its strength prompted tornado and flood warnings for Washington, DC, on Friday morning and a flood emergency in South Carolina, and it remains a serious threat despite no longer being tropical.
Tracking the Storm: Debbie’s Path
At least seven people have died in the Southeast since Category 1 Storm Debby made landfall in Florida on Monday. Torrential rains and strong winds have destroyed homes, flooded neighborhoods and trapped people in cars, houses and boats. Extreme heat is expected to batter the entire region this weekend, further complicating recovery efforts.
The latest information is as follows:
• Helicopters needed for rescues in Pennsylvania: Authorities have received hundreds of calls for rescues, including several people who needed to be rescued by air from dangerous flooding in northern Pennsylvania’s Tioga County, County Commissioner Shane Nickerson told CNN. Water rescues continued Friday afternoon, with 80 to 90 people needing to be evacuated from their homes. Emergency crews have also been caught in the floodwaters. A spokesperson for the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency told CNN that helicopters and boats have been dispatched to help with flood response efforts. Nickerson said the Pennsylvania National Guard has also been called in to help.
• Three flood emergencies at once: Debby’s torrential rains caused life-threatening flooding conditions on the Pennsylvania-New York border Friday afternoon. A flood emergency was issued for Steuben County in southern New York, followed shortly thereafter by the neighboring cities of Whiteville and Andover. In Steuben County, “numerous areas are flooded, trapping people in their homes,” according to the National Weather Service. Evacuation orders were issued for Woodhull, a small hamlet in the county, due to flooding along a nearby waterway, according to the county’s emergency management office. Another flood emergency was issued for the city of Westfield in northern Pennsylvania. All of these areas are experiencing dangerous flooding, according to the National Weather Service.
• Tornado and Flood Watches for DC: Multiple tornado watches were issued for the Washington DC area, including near Reagan National Airport, just after 8:20 a.m. The watches were lifted within 20 minutes, but they highlighted how quickly Debby’s threat could escalate. Multiple flood warnings were issued over a wide area, with extreme rainfall rates exceeding an inch every 20 minutes. Heavy rain quickly pooled on roads and disrupted public transportation in the area. Multiple lines of the District’s Metrorail service experienced delays due to flooding.
• Water rescues in flooded South Carolina: Debby brought heavy rain to parts of South Carolina overnight, prompting dozens of water rescues north of Charleston, local officials said. Emergency Management spokeswoman Jenna Lee Walls told CNN that there had been at least 26 water rescues in Berkeley County as of Friday morning, most of them around Moncks Corner, about 30 miles north of Charleston, where a rare flash flood emergency was issued. About 9 inches of rain fell in six hours in the area, according to the National Weather Service, and two to three feet of water quickly flowed on roads. No serious injuries were reported. Roads in the area remained heavily flooded Friday morning.
• State of emergency declared in Virginia: Frederick County, Virginia, declared a state of emergency on Friday morning after flooding forced multiple water rescues, according to officials. The area is about 60 miles west of Washington, D.C., and is surrounded by the Appalachian Mountains. Its high elevation makes it more vulnerable to increased rainfall from Debby.
• More than 30 million under flood warning: Heavy rain is expected to fall from central Pennsylvania into central New York and spread across more of New England during the afternoon and evening. The region faces a severe flooding threat, especially in higher elevations. The flood threat is exacerbated by wet conditions from flooding earlier this week. More than 30 million people are under some level of flood warning, stretching more than 900 miles from Georgia to New York and northern New England. Rainfall from Debby will move rapidly out of northern New England by Saturday morning.
• 13 million people under tornado watch: A tornado watch has been issued until 10 p.m. EDT for more than 13.5 million people in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont, according to the Storm Prediction Center.
• Death toll rising: A 78-year-old woman was found dead after a tree fell on a trailer in Rockingham County, North Carolina, where a tornado watch had been issued earlier in the day, according to the sheriff. A man was found dead in Wilson County, North Carolina, early Thursday after a tornado caused by Debby destroyed his home, county officials said. At least five other deaths have been reported from the storm, including four in Florida and one in Georgia.
Debby dumped more than a foot of rain on parts of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas this week, causing flooding and prompting rescue efforts as muddy floodwaters spread across the area, trapping people in their homes and cars.
Three children were rescued Thursday in Raleigh, North Carolina, after slipping into a fast-flowing creek flooded by rains from Debby, local fire officials said.
Andrew, 11, his sister Evelyn, 8, and three other children from a friend told CNN affiliate WRAL they were playing in a creek when they were caught off guard by fast-flowing water and were clinging to tree branches when rescuers arrived.
“It was really scary because the water was coming really fast and there were a lot of sticks hitting us. It was really scary at the end when (my friend) was just barely hanging on,” Evelyn told WRAL.
The other child made it across the river to safety and was able to call 911. “Rescue crews got there just in time,” Evelyn said.
“These kids are so lucky today!” the Raleigh Fire Department said on X. “We know the water levels in our creeks and rivers are high today and very dangerous. To everyone in Raleigh, please stay safe!”
Raleigh had seen 5.35 inches of rain from Debby as of Thursday night, with other parts of North Carolina seeing more than a foot of rain, including more than 15 inches in Kings Grant and 11.94 inches in Wilmington.
CNN’s Rebecca Rees, Amanda Musa, Sharif Padgett, Andy Rose and Monica Garrett contributed to this report.
