Ann Farkas was walking through her flood-damaged home on Friday as the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debbie swept through Canisteo, New York, causing flash flooding in parts of the state.
Craig Rattle/AP
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Craig Rattle/AP
PHILADELPHIA — The weather system formerly known as Hurricane Debbie was not quite over on Sunday, with flood warnings remaining in effect in North Carolina and thousands without power in New York, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
After hitting Florida on Aug. 5, the storm lingered for nearly a week, spawning tornadoes and flooding that destroyed homes and claimed lives along the East Coast before moving into Canada on Saturday.
While many rivers had receded by Sunday, flood warnings remained in effect for central and eastern North Carolina, and more thunderstorms were possible in the coming days. With the ground already saturated in Debbie, the National Weather Service said localized downpours could cause additional flash flooding throughout the coastal Carolinas.
A man died after driving into floodwaters on a closed road and being swept away, authorities in Lumberton, North Carolina, said in a Facebook post on Saturday. Officials did not reveal the identity of the driver but said they hoped post-storm rescue operations would return to normal soon.
“This point bears repeating,” the agency said in the post. “Never drive onto flooded roadways and obey road closure signs.”
Waiter Chastity Bettis said business was booming at the Halftime Pub and Grub restaurant Sunday afternoon after a flash flood warning was issued in New Bern, North Carolina.
The remnants of Tropical Storm Debbie swept over a bridge over the Canisteo River in Canisteo, N.Y., on Friday, and a mobile home could be seen washed away from its foundation about 1,000 feet away from the home. .
Craig Rattle/AP
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“Right now, it’s thundering and raining and it’s dark, so I would say it’s going to rain heavily here soon,” she said. “If you live here, you’re pretty used to hurricane season, like this, but we’ve had it pretty rough the last week or two.”
In South Carolina, the National Weather Service’s Charleston office warned Sunday that up to 3 to 4 inches of additional rain could fall in the afternoon and evening, possibly leading to flash flooding. Showers and thunderstorms are possible in Charleston and Chatham counties and inland areas, the office said.
Even in drought-stricken areas, more than 35,000 homes and businesses were without power as of Sunday afternoon in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont, according to tracking website PowerOutage.us. There were about 23,000 power outages in hard-hit Ohio, where Debbie-related storms, including a tornado, ripped through the northeastern part of the state on Wednesday.
During Debbie’s final day and night over the United States on Friday, rain and flash flooding hit parts of New York, Pennsylvania and New England, prompting evacuations and rescue operations.
Stacey Urban, whose family owns Moss Vanwie Farm in Canisteo, N.Y., said the flooding destroyed about a quarter of the 1,200-acre farm. Three, which includes about 400 acres of corn, 200 acres of soybeans and hundreds of acres of hay for feeding.
“This is total devastation,” she said by phone Sunday as fire department officials rescued the flooded basement of the house. “We never thought this would happen.”
Urban said the family, which has been farming for about 37 years, has not yet had a chance to fully understand the damage, but said all of their 150 dairy cows and 200 young animals are safe and all farm equipment has been recovered.
“Whether this all works is another matter,” she said. “The water comes quickly.”
Recovery efforts are underway in Steuben County in upstate New York. Officials announced plans to distribute water bottles and cleaning kits to residents affected by flash flooding on Sunday and Monday. The Red Cross also opened a shelter for flood victims at Corning-Painter Post High School and planned to operate it until Monday.
The county, which lies along the Pennsylvania state line, declared a state of emergency on Friday and ordered several towns to evacuate as floodwaters engulfed homes, farms and roads. The area has been hit by devastating flash flooding during previous storms, including in 2021.
“Twice in three years, Tuscarora Creek went from a gentle stream to a raging beast,” county officials wrote in a post on the government’s Facebook page Sunday afternoon. “It was just too much. The sun was still rising on Saturday. Volunteers prepared breakfast. People in all four towns rolled up their sleeves and took a deep breath.
Officials in Tioga County in north-central Pennsylvania said Sunday morning that 10 teams of emergency service volunteers would go to residents to survey damage, while rescuers continued to search for people missing since the flooding.
“Please be kind to them because they are volunteers … they are working in the 911 center, they are firefighters, police officers, first responders, these are the people who are going to spend their Sunday helping you,” County Commissioner Marc Rice ) explain.
State Rep. Clint Owlett said faith-based disaster relief groups also mobilized to help assess damage and provide assistance. “It’s going to be a big deal.”
Meanwhile, the National Hurricane Center is tracking another potential tropical storm in the Atlantic Ocean. Officials said a tropical depression could form within the next day or two and could approach parts of the Greater Antilles by the middle of the week.
