Debby brings heavy rain, flooding and possible tornadoes to the Northeast over the weekend

LUCAMA, N.C. (AP) — The remains of Debby Picking up the pace Friday, moving north and northeast from the Carolinas, continuing to experience heavy rain, flash flooding and the threat of tornadoes.

The Mid-Atlantic states and parts of New York and New England will see significant rainfall this weekend that could cause dangerous flooding, such as on parts of Interstate 95 near larger cities, said Jon Porter, Accuweather’s chief meteorologist. From Eastern Virginia to Vermont, there could be an active line of tornadoes on Friday, he said.

“There will be multiple threats in Debby’s final chapter, and it’s a dangerous one,” he said.

The already soaking parts of northern Vermont that were affected flash floods twice last month braced for the possibility of more on Friday. Floods that affected the northeastern part of the state on July 30 bridges destroyed, homes destroyed and damaged, and roads washed away in the rural town of Lyndon. It came three weeks later after deadly floods in the north and central parts of the state from the remnants of Hurricane Beryl.

Debby had entered a tropical depression late Thursday afternoon, the National Hurricane Center said. It came ashore early Monday on Florida’s Gulf Coast as a Category 1 hurricane. Then Debby made landfall for a second time in South Carolina early Thursday as a tropical storm.

At least seven people have died in connection with Debby.

On Thursday, tornadoes spawned by Debby leveled homes, damaged a school and killed one person the tropical system heavy rains fell, flooding communities in the Carolinas.

It took just 15 seconds for a tornado to destroy Genesis Cooper’s home in Lucama, North Carolina, a small town about 40 miles east of Raleigh. He almost slept through it, if not because of an alert on his wife’s phone.

He, his wife and their 20-year-old son huddled in a bathroom with blankets. They felt vibrations and heard glass breaking before hearing a sudden bang.

“I can’t even describe it. It’s like sucking, that’s what it felt like,” Cooper said. “Like something is squeezing, like your ears are popping.”

The tornado was one of at least three reported tornadoes in North Carolina, and perhaps the most destructive. One person was found dead in a home damaged by the Lucama tornado, Wilson County spokesman Stephen Mann said.

The Wilson County Schools superintendent confirmed the damage at Springfield Middle School, where portions of the walls and roof are missing or compromised.

Drone footage showed parts of the school’s roof had been torn off, exposing trusses and pipework. Part of the wall had crumbled onto the soggy green lawn, which was littered with twisted pieces of metal roofing and torn insulation.

Tornado warnings continued to be issued in North Carolina and Virginia Thursday night. Until 7 a.m. Friday, a tornado warning was in effect for more than 17 million people in parts of Washington, DC, Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

Meanwhile, a dam broke Thursday morning north of Fayetteville, North Carolina, with Debby soaking the area. Between 12 and 15 homes were evacuated, but no one was injured and no buildings were damaged, Harnett County spokesperson Desiree Patrick said.

North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said at a briefing Thursday that the state had activated more National Guard troops and added additional vehicles that can rescue people in floods.

About 100 miles (161 kilometers) south of Lucama, officers in Bladenboro posted photos of one Patrol car damaged by a fallen treeas well as roads that were washed away.

City workers had helped fill sandbags Wednesday before up to 3 feet (91 centimeters) of water poured into the downtown area overnight.

Forrest Lennon, the owner of Diamond Dave’s Grill in Bladenboro, counted his blessings even as 5 inches of water poured into the restaurant. He and his wife have owned the property since September. The previous owner said the building was flooded with three feet of water during the last two major hurricanes, Matthew and Florence.

“It could have been a lot worse,” Lennon said, adding that they did everything they could to prepare for the storm.

More flooding was expected in North and South Carolina. Up to 6 inches of rain could fall before Debby clears these states. Parts of Maryland, New York State and Vermont could see similar precipitation totals towards the end of the weekendthe weather service said.

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster warned Thursday that the effects of Debby are not completely over, as rain falling in North Carolina could swell rivers and cause flooding downstream.

“We have passed some hazards, but there are still plenty,” McMaster said. “So don’t let your guard down just yet.”

Associated Press contributors include Jeffrey Collins in Columbia, South Carolina; Jeff Martin in Atlanta, and freelance photographer Mic Smith in Isle of Palms, South Carolina.