Tropical Storm Debby not only brought relentless rainfall but also caused several damaging tornadoes. These tornadoes claimed the life of one person and even shut down a portion of Interstate 95.
According to the Associated Press, Debby is expected to hit the East Coast hard, and residents must be prepared for several inches of flooding over the weekend.
In North Carolina, at least three tornadoes were reported. One occurred in the early morning hours, around 3 a.m., causing damage to at least four houses. A school and a church in Wilson County were also damaged, according to county officials.
In addition to the aforementioned damage, a small town east of Raleigh was also severely affected by a tornado. One house was damaged, resulting in the death of a resident, as reported by CNN. This information was provided by Stephen Mann, Wilson County spokesman.
Springfield Middle School also sustained damage, confirmed by Wilson County Schools Superintendent Lane Mills.
"It was heartbreaking to see the school right after the event," she said.
In another area south of Lucama, photos of the damage caused by Debby were shared, including one showing a damaged patrol car.
Police Chief Kevin Rouse said that many townspeople helped fill sandbags before floodwaters, reaching about 3 feet, inundated the town. Everyone worked together to save businesses. When morning came, although the waters had receded and Debby was not considered the worst storm to hit the region, Rouse noted that he always watches a storm with caution.
"Even though it wasn't a severe, major hurricane, you still had a lot of water. You start getting 6, 12, 20 inches of rainfall—that's going to cripple you," he said.
According to the National Hurricane Center, Debby made a second landfall near Bulls Bay in South Carolina early Thursday.
