Tropical Storm Debby dumped around five inches of rain on Charlotte, as the slow-moving storm trundled across the region Thursday.
No deaths or serious injuries had been reported in the Charlotte region as of Thursday afternoon, though one person died in eastern North Carolina as the result of a tornado. Almost 19,000 customers were without power in Mecklenburg County, with the next-highest total being 4,000 outages in Gaston County. Flood watches throughout the region were posted through Thursday night or Friday morning.
South Carolina officials gave an update Thursday as Debby moved out of the region. Gov. Henry McMaster said the floodwater left on the ground can be dangerous to residents.
"Even though it's not raining, the wind's not blowing, there's still a lot of danger from this moving water and where you see it ponding. That doesn't mean it's, it's clean and that the children are supposed to play in it because there's no telling what's in it from all the overflows, and a lot of danger there," he said.
McMaster also noted that so far there have been no storm-related fatalities reported in South Carolina.
Gov. Roy Cooper said swift water rescue teams have been activated across the state to be ready. Moderate to heavy rain and gusty winds are expected mostly in central North Carolina for the rest of the day. Cooper was speaking from a National Guard facility in Kinston.
"We expect some roads to be flooded, that barricades will be erected. We once again tell people not to walk through or drive through water," he said.
State emergency management officials say about 60 people are now in more than a dozen shelters. They're also monitoring potential river flooding over the next several days.
Reminder these signs are not optional! #TurnAround pic.twitter.com/qCe43neafr
— Charlotte-Mecklenburg Emergency Management (@CharMeckEM) August 8, 2024
North Carolina State Climatologist Kathie Dello says tropical storms aren’t the annoying little sibling to larger, more destructive hurricanes anymore, as climate change means a warmer atmosphere and more powerful, wetter storms.
"Tropical storms aren’t just tropical storms anymore. We know whatever the category, they can cause a lot of damage," she said.
She pointed to tropical storms like Fred in 2021 and Ophelia last year that caused considerable flooding and damage.
"We have a warmer atmosphere. We're supercharging the atmosphere with more water, pouring espresso into a coffee cup. But also we have less of those steering winds. So we see systems move more slowly. We saw this with Florence, Hurricane Harvey in Houston, Hurricane Dorian and there are a number of other storms we can point to as well," she said.
In Charlotte, Tiyi El, a nurse practitioner, said flooding is a major concern for her at her townhome in west Charlotte. She watched the waters nervously near her home Thursday.
"I haven’t been this concerned about a storm since Hurricane Hugo. I was 14 years old," she said.
