Cleanup begins as 35 Quebec towns hit by rainstorm. AP Nerws
As Tropical Storm Debby finally moved out of the U.S. on Saturday, the sun emerged, but over 100,000 homes and businesses across four states remained without power. After making landfall in Florida as a hurricane, Debby wreaked havoc across the East Coast, bringing tornadoes, flooding, and significant damage.
Although the storm's intensity lessened and the skies cleared, northern New York continued to face challenges. A flood warning was in place due to the nearly 7 inches (18 centimetres) of rain that had fallen. The National Weather Service reported that water levels were slowly receding, but many roads were still under water, making travel difficult.
Power outages were widespread, affecting around 170,000 customers in Ohio, New York, Pennsylvania, and Vermont by Saturday afternoon. Some utilities warned that power restoration could take days. Ohio experienced the most outages, with Debby’s storms, including tornadoes, having hit the northeastern part of the state earlier in the week.
On Debby’s final day over the U.S., heavy rain continued to pummel south-central New York and north-central Pennsylvania, leading to evacuations and rescue operations by helicopter. The storm also affected New England and southern Quebec before moving northeast, though conditions began to improve as the system advanced.
In New York, severe flash flooding impacted rural areas south of the Finger Lakes. In Steuben County, which borders Pennsylvania, officials had to evacuate towns like Jasper, Woodhull, and parts of Addison due to floodwaters making roads impassable. Emergency crews worked tirelessly to clear debris and help residents remove floodwater from their basements.
On August 9, 2024, the parking lot at the Holiday Inn in Laval was entirely underwater. CTV News
Tioga County in north-central Pennsylvania was also hard hit, with a search and rescue operation underway for a missing person in Knoxville. Fire Chief William Goltz reported that 30 to 50 water rescues were carried out using boats and helicopters. Some of those rescued included firefighters who had become trapped while assisting others. Approximately 100 people were displaced, and shelters were set up to provide temporary relief. By midday Saturday, only 14 people remained in one shelter. Residents were urged to document damage and send photos to aid recovery efforts.
A tornado with winds reaching 105 mph (169 kph) touched down in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, early Friday. The tornado caused damage to a warehouse, a church, and several homes, and uprooted numerous trees. This tornado was part of the broader impact of Debby, which was downgraded to a tropical depression on Thursday and then to a post-tropical cyclone on Friday.
Debby first struck the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday and later made landfall in South Carolina as a tropical storm on Thursday. President Joe Biden has declared a major disaster in Florida, authorizing federal aid to support recovery efforts.
The storm has been linked to at least nine deaths, mostly from vehicle accidents or fallen trees. In Vermont, where Debby’s remnants also caused significant damage, about 19,000 homes and businesses were without power by Saturday afternoon. This was an improvement from over 44,000 outages the day before. Vermont Governor Phil Scott had previously warned of the potential for serious damage, especially in areas already affected by flooding from previous storms. The state's power infrastructure faced challenges due to repeated storms and strong winds that downed trees.
