The storm was strengthening over the southeastern Gulf and expected to be a hurricane before making landfall in the Big Bend region of Florida, the National Hurricane Center said.
ABC's Faith Abubey has the latest as millions of people prepare for Tropical Storm Debby to make landfall in Florida .Tropical Storm Debby was strengthening rapidly Sunday and was predicted to become a hurricane as it moves through the Gulf of Mexico on a collision course with the Florida coast.
"I'd urge all Floridians to be cognizant of the fact that we are going to have a hurricane hit the state, probably a Category 1, but it could be a little bit more powerful than that," Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis said in a Sunday morning briefing. Forecasters warn it also could drop heavy rains over north Florida and the Atlantic coasts of Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina early next week.
A hurricane warning was issued for parts of the Big Bend and the Florida Panhandle, while tropical storm warnings were posted for Florida's West Coast, the southern Florida Keys and Dry Tortugas. A tropical storm watch extended farther west into the Panhandle. A warning means storm conditions are expected within 36 hours, while a watch means they are possible within 48 hours.
Flat Florida is prone to flooding even on sunny days, and the storm was predicted to bring a surge of 2 to 4 feet along most of the Gulf Coast, including Tampa Bay, with a storm tide of up to 7 feet north of there in the sparsely populated Big Bend region. "After the storm surge does come in, we simply don't have enough first responders in our agency and among the other first responders in the county to go in and rescue everybody that might need to be rescued," he said.DeSantis declared a state of emergency for 61 of Florida's 67 counties, with the National Guard activating 3,000 guard members. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp made his own emergency proclamation on Saturday.
Storm Tropical Storm Tropical Storm Debby Hurricane National Hurricane Center Gulf Of Mexico Florida Rain Rainfall 15143030
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