Debby Unleashes Havoc: Flash Floods and Tornadoes Ravage Eastern States

Tropical storm Debby has caused significant damage across northern Pennsylvania and southern New York, leading to flash floods and tornadoes. Authorities have undertaken rescue operations, including boat and helicopter rescues. Several regions remain under tornado warnings as the storm moves northeast, with extensive flooding and property damage reported.

The remnants of now-weakened tropical storm Debby triggered flash flooding in northern Pennsylvania and southern New York state, leaving dozens of people stranded in their homes on Friday, authorities said. Several people were rescued by boat and by helicopters across the region as Debby sped through, dumping several inches of rain on already soaked land.

"We've carried out upward of 30 rescues so far and we're continuing to search house to house," said Bill Goltz, fire chief in Westfield, Pennsylvania, with a population of 1,100. "We're evacuating the town. So far, we've had no deaths or injuries. But nearby towns have missing people." The National Weather Service issued tornado warnings for the area. Debby had spawned deadly twisters earlier in the week and was expected to continue doing so before it blows out to sea Saturday afternoon.

The governors of Pennsylvania and New York issued disaster and emergency declarations to free up resources to assist the affected regions. The NWS issued flood warnings and tornado watches for parts of an area stretching from coastal Georgia to Vermont, as the storm moved northeast at 35 miles (56 km) an hour, considerably faster than earlier in the week.

Debby, a slow-moving storm for most of the week, has dropped as much as 25 inches (63 cm) of rain on its march north and killed at least eight people. Since making its first landfall as a Category 1 hurricane on Florida's Gulf Coast on Monday, Debby has submerged homes and roadways, and forced evacuations and water rescues as it crawled up the Eastern Seaboard.

The weather service reported a handful of tornadoes since Thursday. In Browns Summit, North Carolina, a 78-year-old woman was killed when a tree fell on her mobile home, NBC affiliate WXII reported. Earlier, a twister killed a man in his house in Wilson County, North Carolina, causing significant property damage.

North and South Carolina have been hardest hit by Debby's rainfall. In Moncks Corner, South Carolina, rescue teams were mobilized Friday as flash flooding forced evacuations and highway closures. Earlier, a tornado had flipped cars and wrecked a restaurant.

In Barre, Vermont, Rick Dente spent the morning covering his family-owned store with plastic tarps and sandbags to protect it from the expected 3 more inches of rain. Vermont is already under a state of emergency due to a separate storm system's damage.

"We're worried," said Dente, whose store has been in the family since 1907. "Every time it rains, it's worse," he added.

(With inputs from agencies.)