Live updates: Charleston extends curfew as Debby brings heavy rain, reported tornadoes
Live updates: Charleston extends curfew as Debby brings heavy rain, reported tornadoes
Storm forecast to lash the NY & Philly Metro Areas in a few days... no anticipation of a Tropical Storm Sandy like conditions expected
Live updates: Charleston extends curfew as Tropical Storm Debby brings heavy rain, reported tornadoes
By Jocelyn Grzeszczak and Jonah Chester jgrzeszczak@postandcourier.com jchester@postandcourier.com
Aug 6, 2024
Charleston is under a city-wide curfew until at least 7 a.m. Aug. 7 as Tropical Storm Debby continues drenching the Lowcountry with heavy rain on its path up the Atlantic Coast.
Access to the peninsula remains shuttered until the curfew is lifted. Drivers will be cited if they violate the order, Mayor William Cogswell said at a press conference the morning of Aug. 6.
National Weather Service forecasters have said Debby will stall today near South Carolina, dumping as much as 25 inches of rain through at least Aug. 9. Officials warned of storm surge and catastrophic flooding — a particular concern for low-lying Charleston.
This potentially historic rainfall hasn't been seen since October 2015, when tropical storm systems converged over the Holy City in what became known as the "thousand-year flood."
Keep reading for the latest updates on the storm.
Graphic: Live storm status
Storm status: Hurricane Tropical storm Tropical depression Non-tropical disturbance
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SOURCE: NOAA | HONGYU LIU AND BRANDON LOCKETT | THE POST AND COURIER
City of Charleston officials give update
10:50 a.m. Cogswell extended the city-wide curfew that first went into effect 11 p.m. Aug. 5. City officials will reassess the morning of Aug. 7.
"Tropical Storm Debby is here, and it looks like she is wearing out her welcome," the mayor said at a 10 a.m. press conference.
Officials said the curfew has proven effective: No rescues were needed overnight and no injuries have been reported.
But Police Chief Chito Walker said officers have ticketed several motorists for ignoring the order and driving around barricades blocking off flooded streets. The number of citations issued was not immediately available.
Cogswell and the city's top brass continued to encourage people to stay home.
"No one should be out in these conditions," the mayor said.
Calls to the fire department dramatically decreased, Chief Dan Curia said.
Firefighters respond to 75 to 100 service calls on a given day. The volume more than doubles during storms of this magnitude, Curia said. The department went on 101 calls between Aug. 5 through 8 a.m. Aug. 6.
"That's incredibly important," he said. "It enables the fire department to get on to different calls to restore quality of life, and most importantly, it does not overload our resources, so we're available for things like structure fires that may come in."
Preparations in advance of the storm and other flooding mitigation efforts have also proved effective, Cogswell said. Flooding on the peninsula doesn’t appear to be as severe as past storms despite the deluge of rain. Areas off the peninsula are still seeing substantial flooding, however.
The drainage tunnel underneath the Septima P. Clark Parkway and the city's often inundated Medical District, which recently came online, is "playing a pretty crucial role in keeping our city dry," he said.
Ahead of Debby's arrival, Cogswell asked Gov. Henry McMaster for more state resources, which are expected later today. The National Guard is bringing several high-water vehicles to aid in rescues. State officials are sending four more pumps to aid the nine that the city rents during storm.
These pumps suck up standing water from flooded streets and overrun drainage areas through long tubes that move the water to areas where it can drain.
Tornado warning wakes up West Ashley residents
9:55 a.m. Mike and Erica Spears awoke just after midnight to the blare of an emergency alert. NWS had declared a tornado warning for their area of West Ashley, between Glenn McConnell Road and Ashley River Road, for the next 30 minutes.
The husband and wife ran down the stairs, scrambling to grab their cat and 14-year-old dog before taking shelter in a bathroom.
"We’re no strangers to storms here in Charleston, but no one wants to wake up to alarms telling you you’re in the path of a tornado," Mike Spears said.
The pair followed local news feeds, waiting for the alleged twister to pass. Fifteen minutes felt like a lifetime, they said.
read more at
https://www.postandcourier.com/hurricanewire/tropical-storm-debby-live-updates/article_dfbcfa20-536d-11ef-a714-8b8846170c18.html