Following the landfall of Hurricane Debby in Florida on Monday morning, power outages have affected more than 300,000 customers, as reported by PowerOutage.us. The impacted areas are primarily in the state's Big Bend region, where the Category 1 storm made landfall near Steinhatchee. This region had previously been struck by Hurricane Idalia just 11 months ago.
With traffic lights out and roads either slick or flooded, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has advised residents in the affected areas to remain indoors for their safety. Governor DeSantis emphasized the potential for significant flooding not only on the day of the storm but also in the days to come.
DeSantis warned, 'This storm has produced and will likely produce significant flooding events from the Sarasota/Bradenton area all the way up to northern Florida.' The storm is anticipated to slow down as it traverses Florida and progresses into Georgia and South Carolina.
Cities such as Savannah and Charleston are bracing themselves for the likelihood of experiencing a month's worth of rain in just a single day due to the hurricane's impact. The aviation sector is also feeling the effects of the storm, with the Federal Aviation Administration reporting flight delays exceeding an hour on Monday morning in Miami, Fort Lauderdale, and Orlando.