TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (BP) – Damage from now-Tropical Storm Debby will be assessed after its passage for a more comprehensive response, Disaster Relief leaders announced today.
Florida Baptist Disaster Relief workers are now on active status, the Florida Baptist Witness reported earlier today. State director David Coggins has been monitoring the storm from the State Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.
First Baptist Church in Perry will serve as an operations base, he said. Work will be coordinated with The Salvation Army to deliver meals in the community.
Georgia Baptist Disaster Relief has placed all ministry areas, Feeding and Recovery units and volunteers on standby status. Activation will take place after the storm passes and a better grasp on needs can be ascertained, GBDR Director Dwain Carter told BP.
South Carolina Baptist Disaster Relief said volunteers are preparing for potential deployment, specifically to the state’s southern Lowcountry area where 10-20 inches of rain is being forecast. SCBDR teams are currently also serving in Texas, Iowa and Vermont.
Debby made landfall at approximately 7 a.m. Monday (Aug. 5) as a Category 1 hurricane near Steinhatchee, Fla. Soon thereafter it weakened to a tropical storm. However, “potentially historic rainfall” will follow Debby as the storm moves with “considerable flooding” across areas of east-central Georgia, said the National Weather Service.
A Flood Watch remains in effect for portions of east-central Georgia until 8 p.m. Tuesday. Rainfall amounts as high as 10 inches will “likely produce both river and areal flooding,” said the NWS. Rain bands could persist for several days, leading to increased chances for fallen trees and downed power lines.
Debby is expected to make a second landfall along the central South Carolina coastline Thursday evening before moving into the Mid-Atlantic states through the weekend.
Numerous school systems and colleges cancelled classes prior to Debby’s landfall while others moved to remote learning. Florida State University, some 75 miles northwest of Debby’s landfall, closed its Tallahassee campus Monday but reported “minimal impact.” Normal business operations will resume on Aug. 6, an announcement said.
Charleston Southern University pivoted to online starting at 2 p.m. Monday through Thursday, Aug. 8. Employees also transitioned to remote work, as of 2:30 p.m. Monday.
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