The sun was still shining over much of the Charlotte region Wednesday afternoon, but officials urged residents to prepare for a storm that's expected to bring heavy rains and the potential for flash flooding and downed trees through Friday.
The National Hurricane Center said Charlotte could get around 6 inches of rain, with more to the east. A flood watch was in effect throughout the region.
Mecklenburg County said its offices would be closed Thursday, and employees who can should telework.
Mecklenburg County offices will be closed for in-person services Thursday (8/8) due to Tropical Storm #Debby.
— Mecklenburg County (@MeckCounty) August 7, 2024
Employees who can telework should work remotely. pic.twitter.com/baiXvtqSfT
Both North and South Carolina declared a state of emergency in anticipation of Debby. By Wednesday afternoon, South Carolina had already seen heavy rainfall and flooding in some areas of the state. Debby is expected to impact the Charlotte area in the early hours of Thursday morning through Friday. Federal Emergency Management Agency representative Michael Hart said its residents should use Wednesday to get read.
"Take necessary precautions right now. They should be ensuring, if it's still safe to do so, they have enough water, canned goods, batteries, blankets to sustain themselves for several days if necessary," he said.
Debby is moving at a sluggish pace with heavy rainfall and maximum wind speeds up to 60 mph according to the National Weather Service. South Carolina has already begun to see rainfall totals of up to 17 inches in some parts of the state. In North Carolina, the southeastern part of the state is projected to see as much as 15 inches of rain and the risk of flooding continues through Friday.
Last night to now with #Debby it mixed out all that dry air pretty quickly. Could see the rain bands really pick up today and tonight now. #ncwx #scwx #wcnc #cltwx pic.twitter.com/VNvTUQ6Ew8
— Brad Panovich (@wxbrad) August 7, 2024
Rowan-Salisbury Schools canceled classes Thursday, which was set to be their first day of school. Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools are still on vacation, but said early and middle college programs that are meeting now will move to asynchronous virtual learning on Thursday, and extracurricular sports and club events are canceled.
In Southern Pines, expected to get more rain than Charlotte, officials are bracing for Debby.
Mike Cameron, assistant town manager and fire chief, says they have already had a few trees and tree limbs fall due to the rain over the last several days. Cameron says they have set up an emergency operations center that will be staffed if needed.
"If emergency call volume or citizen issues become unmanageable at our normal staffing levels, we will staff our emergency operations center. We’re probably in that 9-to-11 inches of rain over multiple days but that is still a significant event," he said.
Cameron says they have sandbags available for residents and barricades ready to be set up if needed to close roads if flooding occurs. He says the heaviest rains are expected late Wednesday through Thursday.
During a press conference Wednesday afternoon, South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster said even when the rain subsides, floodwater can still be dangerous.
"After the rains are gone and when the sun comes out, we could still have a lot of rain. A lot of puddles, a lot of things in, in yards and around the small towns," he said. "Those waters are not necessarily clean because there's been a lot of stuff that's been going into them from chemicals on farmlands to overrunning sewer systems and all of that. So, be very careful."
President Biden approved North Carolina’s emergency declaration ahead of Tropical Storm Debby’s arrival, paving the way for help from the Department of Homeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency if disaster relief efforts are necessary. Speaking alongside other state officials Wednesday, Gov. Roy Cooper said this storm can be as dangerous, or more, than a hurricane.
"A slow-moving tropical storm can sometimes be even more deadly than a quick-moving hurricane. That means even without the constant high winds, we must be on high alert," he said.
Flooding is the greatest concern with this system, and Cooper implored drivers not to drive through water-covered roads; he said it only takes 6 inches of fast-moving floodwater to knock over an adult and just 12 inches to carry away most cars.
