Tropical Storm Debby's second landfall spawns deadly tornadoes

Tornadoes spawned by Debby leveled homes, damaged a school and killed one person early Thursday, as the tropical system dropped heavy rain and flooded communities across North and South Carolina.

The tornado was one of at least three reported overnight in North Carolina, and perhaps the most devastating. One person was found dead in a home damaged by a tornado in Lucama.

Tornado warnings continued to be issued throughout North Carolina and Virginia into the night. A tornado watch was in effect for over 17 million people in parts of Washington, D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia until 7 a.m. on Friday.

A dam north of Fayetteville, North Carolina, broke Thursday morning as Debby drenched the area. Between 12 and 15 homes were evacuated, but no one was injured and no structures were damaged.

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

About 100 miles south of Lucama, deputies in Bladenboro posted photos of a patrol car damaged by a fallen tree, as well as roads that had been washed out. Standing water a few feet deep covered parts of the tiny North Carolina town.

Townspeople had helped fill sandbags Wednesday before up to 3 feet of floodwaters backed into the downtown overnight. When the sun came up, water could still be seen bubbling out of manhole covers.

Debby was a tropical depression by late Thursday afternoon, with maximum sustained winds around 35 mph, the National Hurricane Center said. It made landfall early Monday on the Gulf Coast of Florida as a Category 1 hurricane. Then, Debby made a second landfall early Thursday in South Carolina as a tropical storm.

At least seven people have died due to the tropical weather.

Still, more flooding was expected in North and South Carolina. Up to 6 more inches of rain could fall before Debby clears those states. Parts of Maryland, upstate New York and Vermont could get similar rainfall totals by the end of the weekend.

Central parts of North Carolina up through Virginia were forecast to receive 3 to 7 inches of rain, with isolated areas getting up to 10 inches through Friday. The hurricane center warned of the potential for flash flooding.



(AP Photo Christopher Long)