A preliminary estimate of the total damage and economic loss from Hurricane Debby is $28 billion. AccuWeather says Debby’s first landfall as a hurricane in Florida and second as a tropical storm in South Carolina and its impacts on the eastern U.S. will be widespread and long-lasting. Flooding hit both the coastal areas and extended inland.
The hardest-hit locations experienced a foot or more of rain in only one or two days, leading to devastating flooding that damaged homes and businesses, even taking lives in the process. Some of the highest rain amounts reported included 21.06 inches in Tatem Ridge, Florida, 18.25 inches in Summerville, South Carolina, 15.25 inches in Kings Grant, North Carolina, and 13.87 inches in Rincon, Georgia.
The highest wind gust reported in the storm was 99 miles per hour in Horseshoe Beach, Florida, and the highest storm surge was 6.11 feet in Cedar Key, Florida.