LUCAMA, N.C. — Tornadoes spawned by Tropical Storm Debby leveled homes, damaged a school and killed one person early Thursday, as the system dropped heavy rain and flooded communities across North and South Carolina.
It only took 15 seconds for a tornado to devastate Genesis Cooper’s home in Lucama, North Carolina, a small town about 40 miles east of Raleigh. He almost slept through it — if not for 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 shattering before hearing a sudden boom.
“I can’t even describe it. It’s like, suction, that’s what it felt like,” Cooper said. “Like something is squeezing, like your ears are popping.”
A collapsed roof is seen Thursday after a tornado hit near Lucama, N.C. as bands from Tropical Storm Debby moved through the area.
Travis Long, The News & Observer
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 the Lucama tornado, Wilson County spokesman Stephen Mann said in an email.
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Cooper said the tornado was so intense, the wind gusts dragged a large punching bag out of his son’s bedroom and flung it into the living room, knocking his son’s door off the hinges. Parts of their home’s roof and walls were torn off, causing water to leak inside. The side windows were busted out, and the backyard pool deck was damaged.
Despite it all, Cooper seemed to be calm.
“This is just stuff. It can be replaced,” Cooper said.
Theresa Richardson hunkered down with her husband and granddaughter in the closet of their Lucama home as the tornado tore through about a mile away.
Debris struck the house. They could hear the roof of nearby Springfield Middle School being ripped off.
Debris from a tornado spun off by the remnants of Tropical Storm Debby litters the campus of Springfield Middle School on Thursday in Lucama, N.C.
Allen G. Breed, Associated Press
Richardson said tornadoes struck the area before, and her neighbors call the road they live on “tornado alley.”
The superintendent of Wilson County Schools confirmed damage at Springfield Middle School, where sections of the walls and roof of the 6th and 7th grade halls are gone or compromised.
“It was heartbreaking to see the school right after the event,” Superintendent Lane Mills said in a statement.
Drone footage showed portions of the school’s roof ripped off, exposing rafters and duct work. Windows were blown out. A section of wall crumbled onto the soggy green lawn, which was strewn with twisted pieces of metal roof and shredded insulation.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said Thursday that the state activated more National Guard troops and added additional vehicles that can rescue people in floods.
Randy Sikes speaks to his relatives on a cellphone Thursday as he stands in residual rainwater flooding the downtown area in Bladenboro, NC.
John Minchillo, Associated Press
Meanwhile, 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 helped fill sandbags Wednesday before up to 3 feet of floodwater backed into the downtown overnight. When the sun came up, water could still be seen bubbling out of manhole covers.
Emily Dowless, who co-owns furniture store Market on Main, said 20 neighbors and friends helped moved items from the store into trailers and up off the floor in anticipation of flooding. She said about 3 inches of water made it inside the business.
“If the worst is over, that’s great,” she said.
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. It made a second landfall early Thursday in South Carolina as a tropical storm.
At least seven people have died due to the tropical weather system.
Tornado warnings continued to be issued throughout North Carolina and Virginia into the night. A tornado watch was in effect for more than 17 million people in parts of Washington, D.C., Maryland, North Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia until 7 a.m. Friday.
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, the National Weather Service said.
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.
Robert Chesnut starts his water pump Thursday at his home after it was flooded by Tropical Storm Debby in Isle of Palms, S.C.
Mic Smith, Associated Press
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said Thursday afternoon that Debby’s effects aren’t completely over because rain falling in North Carolina could swell rivers and cause flooding downstream.
“We’ve passed some dangers, but there’s still plenty,” McMaster said. “So don’t let your guard down yet.”
Back on the coast, Robert Chesnut stood in nearly a foot of water inside his Isle of Palms home with a rented an industrial pump that looked like a fire hose. After more than three hours, only about an inch of water had been pulled out of his house on the barrier island near Charleston.
And once the water is gone, there is still a lot of work to do.
“This is contaminated water,” Chesnut said. “These houses are on septic tanks. I hate to say it, but that’s fecal matter. You have to disinfect everything.”
The most hurricane-vulnerable counties in 2024
The most hurricane-vulnerable counties in 2024
Which U.S. counties are most likely to be impacted by hurricanes?
With a hectic hurricane season forecasted for this summer, LawnStarter ranked 2024’s most hurricane-vulnerable counties.
The rankings considered hurricane risk assessments and anticipated financial loss from hurricanes according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). It also included the past 10 years of historical storm data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and access to national disaster debris recovery facilities.
To learn how the counties are ranked, read the methodology.
County Rankings
See how the top 20 counties fared in our ranking:
Gage Goulding // Shutterstock
Top 5 Close Up
No. 1: Broward County, Florida | 3 Biggest Cities: Fort Lauderdale, Pembroke Pines, and Hollywood
Overall Score: 74.57Hurricane Risk Score: 99.91 | Rank: 3Total Number of Hurricanes (Last 10 Years): 9 | Rank: 25 (tie)Number of Category 5 Hurricanes (Last 10 Years): 4 | Rank: 1 (tie)Expected Annual Loss from Hurricanes: $895 million | Rank: 2Number of National Disaster Debris Recovery Facilities (EPA 2023): 18 | Rank: 248
No. 2: Palm Beach County, Florida | 3 Biggest Cities: West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, and Boynton Beach
Overall Score: 73.66Hurricane Risk Score: 99.87 | Rank: 4Total Number of Hurricanes (Last 10 Years): 9 | Rank: 25 (tie)Number of Category 5 Hurricanes (Last 10 Years): 4 | Rank: 1 (tie)Expected Annual Loss from Hurricanes: $864 million | Rank: 3Number of National Disaster Debris Recovery Facilities (EPA 2023): 27 | Rank: 268
No. 3: Charleston County, South Carolina | 3 Biggest Cities: Charleston, North Charleston, and Mount Pleasant
Overall Score: 68.04Hurricane Risk Score: 99.64 | Rank: 9Total Number of Hurricanes (Last 10 Years): 11 | Rank: 2 (tie)Number of Category 5 Hurricanes (Last 10 Years): 4 | Rank: 1 (tie)Expected Annual Loss from Hurricanes: $358 million | Rank: 8Number of National Disaster Debris Recovery Facilities (EPA 2023): 22 | Rank: 257
No. 4: Miami-Dade County, Florida | 3 Biggest Cities: Miami, Hialeah, and Miami Gardens
Overall Score: 66.75Hurricane Risk Score: 99.96 | Rank: 2Total Number of Hurricanes (Last 10 Years): 8 | Rank: 54Number of Category 5 Hurricanes (Last 10 Years): 3 | Rank: 48Expected Annual Loss from Hurricanes: $832 million | Rank: 4Number of National Disaster Debris Recovery Facilities (EPA 2023): 43 | Rank: 287
No. 5: Horry County, South Carolina | 3 Biggest Cities: Myrtle Beach, Conway, and Carolina Forest
Overall Score: 66.13Hurricane Risk Score: 99.55 | Rank: 11Total Number of Hurricanes (Last 10 Years): 11 | Rank: 2 (tie)Number of Category 5 Hurricanes (Last 10 Years): 4 | Rank: 1 (tie)Expected Annual Loss from Hurricanes: $257 million | Rank: 11Number of National Disaster Debris Recovery Facilities (EPA 2023): 10 | Rank: 212Key Insights
Florida and South Carolina account for half of the 100 most hurricane-vulnerable counties.
Harris County, Texas (No. 15), home to Houston, has the highest Hurricane Risk and Expected Annual Loss from Hurricanes — over $1.15 billion, according to FEMA. However, the county ranks behind 277 counties for the overall number of hurricanes — with four total — over the past 10 years. The Houston region has a high susceptibility to flood damage and saw record levels of rainfall during Hurricane Harvey.
All counties in our ranking have some risk of hurricanes and their effects, like flooding. Of these counties, those with the lowest risk of being impacted include Kennebec County, Maine (No. 315), which scored near the bottom alongside Texas counties DeWitt (No. 316) and Bexar, home to San Antonio, in last place.
Methodology
First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to rank the Most Hurricane-Vulnerable Counties. We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into 4 categories: Hurricane Risk, Hurricane History, Financial Impact, and Disaster Cleanup. For each of the 317 U.S. counties with a Hurricane Risk Score determined by FEMA, we then gathered additional data on each factor from the Environmental Protection Agency, Federal Emergency Management Agency, and National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each county to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A county’s Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked “Best” (No. 1) and the lowest “Worst” (No. 317).
Final Thoughts: Weathering the Storm
Climate change is causing hurricanes to strengthen with higher ocean temperatures boosting storm intensity.
As El Niño comes to an end, weather experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration are anticipating eight to 13 hurricanes along the Atlantic this year. As many as seven may be major (category 3–5) hurricanes.
While FEMA is incentivizing states to adopt more storm-resilient building codes, predictions show that they could run out of money for disaster relief efforts this year in the middle of hurricane season. Similar circumstances occurred last summer leading to a pause on 2,400 rebuilding projects.
With FEMA’s budget stretched thin, emergency shelters may be underfunded, and rebuilding efforts could be slowed after natural disasters strike.
Do what you can to stay safe and prepared for a stormy summer with more tips below.
This story was produced by LawnStarter and reviewed and distributed by Stacker Media.
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Publish date : 2024-08-08 11:15:00
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