Debbie finally left the U.S. on Saturday after the storm passed. Most of the week After reaching Florida as a hurricane, it caused tornadoes and flooding, damaging homes and claiming lives as it moved up the East Coast.
Debby’s final day over the United States before making landfall in Canada left south-central New York and north-central Pennsylvania flooded with rain and prompted helicopter evacuations and rescues. The subtropical storm continued to dump rain on New England and southern Quebec, Canada, Friday night, with conditions expected to improve Saturday morning as the system continues to move northeast.
Some of the worst flooding in New York on Friday occurred in villages and hamlets in the mostly rural areas south of the Finger Lakes.
In neighboring Pennsylvania’s Steuben County, officials issued evacuations for parts of the towns of Jasper, Woodhull and Addison, saying floodwaters had made several roads impassable, trapping residents. By mid-afternoon, some of those orders had been lifted as the threat of severe flooding had passed. Recovery efforts were underway Saturday morning, with emergency workers clearing debris and helping residents pump floodwater out of their basements.
In the village of Woodhull, a rain-swollen stream overflowed a bridge, and local resident Stephanie Waters said parts of a shed, branches and uprooted trees were among the debris that slammed into the bridge.
“I was scared when I heard the trees crashing onto the bridge,” she said.
Fire Chief Timothy Martin said all of the town’s residents are safe, but “every business in Woodhull has been damaged.”
John Anderson said he saw floodwaters rise quickly and submerge vehicles near Canisteo in Steuben County and Andover in Allegany County.
“It was very, very heavy flooding,” said Anderson, who provided coverage for the Wellsville Sun, and said he saw people’s belongings being swept away by the raging waters.
In Canisteo, farmers Deb and Cliff Moss’ dairy farm, which has been in operation for more than 50 years, sustained major damage. A neighbor’s double-wide trailer was swept out of the field and into the river during the flood, said their daughter, Stacey Urban.
Urban said the devastating damage it has caused to the community is immeasurable.
“They’ve lost a lot. They’re going through heartbreak,” Urban said.
Ann Farkas, also of Canisteo, said this is the first time her home, one of the oldest in the county, has flooded since she moved there in 1976.
“As the water recedes, what’s left is a very thick, wet, concrete-like mud,” Farkas said.
“Like many people, I don’t have flood insurance, so I’m wondering if my home insurance will cover this damage,” she said.
Steuben County Administrator Jack Wheeler said the storm was Tropical Storm Fred The same earthquake occurred three years ago, when six rapids rescue teams rescued people trapped in cars and homes.
New York Governor Kathy Hockle and Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro have declared states of emergency.
Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency Director Randy Padfield said a National Guard helicopter with water rescue capabilities was sent to Tioga County, which borders New York state, due to severe flooding conditions there. Padfield said Tioga County officials had requested assistance at eight to 10 rescue sites, and rescues were also conducted by boat.
In Potter County, on the New York border, the storm caused a bridge collapse and extensive damage to Interstate 49, County Commissioner Bob Rothman said.
“My understanding is that the road is pretty much gone,” Rothman said. “It’s going to be very expensive to replace it, and it’s one of the major roads in the county.”
Rothman said one firefighter suffered a water injury, but the extent of the injury was unknown.
More than 150,000 homes and businesses in New York and Pennsylvania were without power on Friday, and about 60,000 remained without power Saturday morning, according to PowerOutage.us. In Ohio, more than 113,000 customers are still without power.
In Ohio, Debby-related storms, including tornadoes, struck the northeastern part of the state on Wednesday, and about 144,000 customers were still waiting for power to be restored Friday night.
PPL reported 9,139 customers without power in Pennsylvania, while FirstEnergy reported 4,760 customers without power across the state.
Meanwhile, FirstEnergy reported 110,270 customers were without power in Ohio, including about 80,000 in Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, and more than 16,000 in neighboring Lake County.
Debbie Downgraded to a tropical storm The storm formed late Thursday afternoon and strengthened into a tropical depression on Friday, according to the National Hurricane Center. Monday early morning The hurricane formed as a Category 1 hurricane off Florida’s Gulf Coast, then developed in the Atlantic Ocean before making a second landfall in South Carolina as a tropical storm early Thursday.
At least nine people have died in tragic Debby-related deaths, mostly in road accidents and from falling trees.
In Vermont, more than 44,000 homes and businesses were without power Friday night, but that number had dropped to about 23,000 by late Saturday morning.
Officials said wind gusts of more than 60 mph in some areas and large trees were toppled in areas where ground was flooded from earlier storms.
“In many places, the damage is extensive and severe,” said Mike Burke, vice president of Green Mountain Power. “The recurring storms in Vermont are not only heartbreaking, but they are also happening more frequently and causing more damage like this one.”
Gov. Phil Scott had warned that debris from Debby could cause severe damage. Already flooded area Attacked Sudden flooding There have been two floods in the area last month, but flood warnings were lifted by the evening.
Rick Dente, owner of Dente’s Market in Barre, Vermont, tried to protect his store with plastic bags and sandbags as the rain poured down on Friday. “There’s not much else you can do,” Dente said.
Jaki Kincaid be hit by a flood A woman living in Lyndon, Vermont, last month said the latest storm destroyed her garage and well, leaving her without water, downed a 120-foot (36-meter) tree and destroyed a fence.
“We do a lot of this,” Kincaid said, clasping her hands together as if in prayer.
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Associated Press writers Carolyn Thompson in Buffalo, New York, Lisa Lasky in Barre, Vermont, Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina and Susan Hague in Norwich, Connecticut contributed to this report.
