Tropical storm Debby threatens Florida of landfall and severe flood

A tropical depression formed north of Cuba has now strengthened into a tropical storm Debby and is further expected to develop into a hurricane, if forcing its way across the Gulf of Mexico and is anticipated to hit the coastal regions of Florida.

As of early morning, Sunday, Debby was located at approximately 195 miles south to southwest of Tampa, Florida, and was moving forth at about 50 mph hearten with strong winds.

The National Hurricane Center (NHC) regarding the development has issued hurricane warning for certain areas of Florida’s Big Bend and Panhandle regions, along with warnings of tropical storms prevailing across the West Coast of the state.

Watch for the tropical storm has also been issued for Georgia coasts and Florida Keys. Predictions of landfall has been made by the NHC as Debby strengthens into a hurricane by Monday, bringing along potential severe floods, storm surges and heavy rainfall.

The meteorologists predict that the respective amounts of rainfall over Florida range from 6 to 12 inches with some regions prone to be affected by as much as 18 inches of rain. This heavy rainfall could result to flash and urban floods particularly in the low-lying areas. Also, the storm is expected to cause a storm surge of 2 to 4 feet along most of the Florida’s gulf coast although some regions of the big bend may experience a rise of up to 7 feet.

Florida’s Governor Ron DeSantis has called for 3,000 National Guard members for 61 counties in preparation to the storm thereby declaring a state of emergency. Brian Kemp, the Governor of Georgia has also declared the same. Some coastal counties have been evacuated, and others have been warned that they may have to evacuate; shelters have been put into service to house people who need to leave their homes.

Measures are being taken all over the state to reduce the impact that could be caused. In Tampa, officials state that they have provided over 30,000 sandbags and citizens and firms are already protecting their property against potential flood. Storms like the Tropical Storm Debby of 2012 which severely affected Florida has left residents on the lookout for more.

As the tropical storm moves closer to the land, the citizens residing in the projected path of the storm are advised to cautious and move to a safer region or shelters.