Tropical Storm Debby: Person killed in likely tornado in North Carolina
Tornadoes produced by Tropical Storm Debby damaged homes and a school and killed one person early Thursday, as heavy rain and floods slammed North and South Carolina.
FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Team found the body of a missing person in Lucama, North Carolina. An official told FOX News that the unidentified person's home collapsed on them during a likely tornado early Thursday morning.
The death toll from Tropical Storm Debby has now climbed to seven people. FOX News reported that Springfield Middle School in Lucama also experienced extensive damage from what was likely the same tornado.
Debby was a tropical depression by Thursday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds around 35 mph, the National Hurricane Center told the Associated Press.
The storm made landfall early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. Then, Debby made a second landfall early Thursday in South Carolina as a tropical storm.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said at a briefing Thursday that the state has activated more National Guard troops and added additional vehicles that can rescue people in floods.
On Thursday morning, the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, issued Flash Flood Warnings for several counties in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina.
RELATED: Tropical Storm Debby moves up East Coast as flood threat continues for Carolinas
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FILE-A man walks on a flooded street due to Tropical Storm Debby on August 06, 2024 in Charleston, South Carolina. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images)
As the storm moves inland on Thursday, the current forecast is calling for rainfall of 3-6 inches, with rain in local areas up to 15 inches, across portions of southeastern and north-central North Carolina, including Raleigh, Greensboro, Charlotte and Fayetteville.
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Three-hour radar loop. Warning boxes are color coded as: Severe Thunderstorm Warnings in yellow, Tornado Warnings in red, Tornado Warnings with a confirmed tornado in purple, Flash Flood Warnings in green and Flash Flood Emergencies in pink. (FOX Wea
The threat of tornadoes is possible in central and eastern North Carolina and southern and central Virginia.
FOX Weather noted that emergency management officials reported thunderstorms producing heavy rain in Bladenboro, North Carolina, around 5 a.m. ET Thursday after 5-8 inches of rain had fallen, flooding all roadways into Bladenboro. Officials with Bladen County Emergency Services issued a voluntary evacuation order for residents in and around Bladenboro.
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Here's a look at the rain totals still to come from Debby. (FOX Weather)
According to FOX Weather, President Joe Biden has approved emergency declarations for Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. This enables FEMA to provide federal assistance to save lives, protect property and ensure public health and safety.
Tropical Storm Warnings are still in effect for northeastern South Carolina and southeastern North Carolina coasts with 40 and 60 mph wind gusts affecting the area on Thursday, specifically Myrtle Beach through Cape Fear, North Carolina, per FOX Weather.
Heavy rain will douse the Northeast with pockets of serious flooding potentially on Friday and Saturday from the Carolina region all the way into Maine.