Tropical Storm Idalia Carolinas Flooding : Tropical Depression Idalia continues to strike the Southeast Atlantic coast. The newest indicator of weather-related instability is worsening. Hurricane Irma was the strongest hurricane to hit Big Bend in over a century, and western Florida villages are still recovering. North Carolina is warning of sudden flooding.
Florida received its first Category 3 hurricane. After that, it destroyed power lines in southern Georgia and South Carolina, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity. This move increased the risk for vulnerable coastal towns.
In a meeting on Thursday morning, the National Hurricane Center warned that storm surge and tides might flood coastal areas that rarely experience water. As the water rises, shoreline areas may be washed off.
Most of the 2–5 inches of rain in the southern corridor of North Carolina fell in Wilmington. National Weather Service warns Bladen, Brunswick, Columbus, New Hanover, and Pender of flash flooding. North Carolina has these counties. The advisories also referenced storms, albeit the chance was low.
The storm slammed Keaton Beach in Big Bend, Florida, earlier. This area is between the Panhandle and Peninsula. This allowed the hurricane to cause much damage. The severe storm blasted waves along the state’s western coast, knocking roofs off and flooding homes.
Also Read : Florida Community Reels After Idalia: Navigating the Aftermath of Significant Flooding
Rep. Jared Moskowitz of the US shed light on financial issues in many of the hardest-hit areas. Moskowitz added, “Many of these communities are financially tight, and they don’t have the tools they need to deal with a storm of this size.” He felt the calamity would change some places’ environments and identities permanently.
The government ordered a wide-ranging evacuation from Tampa Bay to Big Bend before the hurricane. Georgia and South Carolina, including Charleston, and North Carolina, especially Wilmington, had short but intense floods and power disruptions due to the storm. The storm damaged Florida, cut power to many, and flooded Georgia and South Carolina.
When the government closed flooded highways in Charleston, trees suffered “arboreal carnage”. National Weather Service: Edisto Beach, South Carolina, beaches damaged.
At least one death has been attributed to Ida. Even though Florida Governor Ron DeSantis called it a “unconfirmed death,” Florida Highway Patrol Sgt. Steve Gaskins uncovered two deaths in two crashes from the storm. The storm killed both. A man in Lowndes County, Georgia, was killed when a tree he was working on fell on him as he was working on another tree near to a road.
The Pamlico, Albemarle, and South Santee Rivers in South Carolina were still under tropical storm alerts Thursday morning. The Pamlico and Albemarle Sounds are on this shore. The National Weather Service has issued a storm surge watch for many North Carolina inlets and rivers.
