Hurricane Debby Takes Aim at Florida's Big Bend Region

Hurricane Debby intensified into a full-fledged hurricane late Sunday and poised to hit Florida's Big Bend region by midday Monday. The storm bears hallmarks of Hurricane Harvey and is expected to cause catastrophic flooding and heavy rainfall. Authorities have declared states of emergency and called for evacuations.

Hurricane Debby intensified late Sunday, setting its sights on the Big Bend region of Florida's Gulf Coast. The U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) warned of life-threatening storm surges, with winds reaching 75 mph by 11 p.m. ET Sunday and further strengthening expected overnight.

The NHC forecasted up to 10-foot storm surges and potential historic rainfall between 10 and 20 inches, causing catastrophic flooding in Georgia and South Carolina. Local areas could see up to 30 inches of rain by Friday. Jamie Rhome, deputy director of the NHC, emphasized the storm's slow motion would dump historic amounts of rainfall.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis mobilized 3,000 National Guard troops and ordered mandatory evacuations in certain Gulf Coast counties. He assured that over 17,000 linemen and electric workers were ready to restore power. Similar emergency declarations were made by the governors of Georgia and South Carolina.