President Biden approved an emergency declaration for Florida as Tropical Storm Debby barrels toward the Sunshine State, the White House confirmed Sunday.
The president’s move helps free up federal resources and authorizes the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate all disaster relief efforts, the White House said.
Debby was expected to become a hurricane as it moved through the Gulf of Mexico toward Florida, bringing with it the threat of devastating floods later in the week.
The storm was likely to become a Category 1 hurricane before making landfall Monday in the Big Bend region of Florida, per the National Hurricane Center in Miami.
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The flooding impacts, which could last through Friday, are expected to be especially severe in low-lying areas near the coast, including Savannah, Georgia, Hilton Head, South Carolina, and Charleston, South Carolina.
The hurricane center said in an update posted at 11 a.m. Sunday that Debby was located about 130 miles west-southwest of Tampa, Florida, and about 160 miles south-southwest of Cedar Key, Florida. The storm was moving north-northwest at 13 mph with maximum sustained winds of 65 mph, up from 50 mph just a few hours ago.
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“I’d urge all Floridians to be cognizant of the fact that we are going to have a hurricane hit the state, probably a Category 1, but it could be a little bit more powerful than that,” Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a Sunday morning briefing.
“But we are absolutely going to see a lot of rainfall. We are going to see a lot of saturation. We are going to see flooding events,” he said. “There is also going to be power outages.”
DeSantis said that, for the first time, constructed flood control devices are being placed at utility stations to try to minimize the risk of power interruptions because of flooding.
The National Hurricane Center predicted the system will strengthen as it curves off the southwest Florida coast, where the water has been extremely warm.
DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 of Florida’s 67 counties, with the National Guard activating 3,000 members.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
