Debby's death toll rises to 8 after North Carolina woman killed when tree falls on home
Eight deaths were tied to the storm from Florida to North Carolina.
Debby's death toll rises to 8 after woman dies in North Carolina
Authorities in Rockingham County rushed to the scene Thursday evening in Brown Summit on a report that a tree had fallen on a mobile home. Sadly, upon their arrival, first responders found 78-year-old Hilda Windsor Jones dead inside the home, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office told FOX Weather.
BROWN SUMMIT, N.C. – The death toll from Hurricane Debby continues to rise as the storm slowly moves up the Eastern Seaboard, unleashing a dangerous flood and tornado threat for millions of Americans.
Authorities in Rockingham County, North Carolina, rushed to the scene Thursday evening in Brown Summit on a report that a tree had fallen on a mobile home. Upon their arrival, first responders found 78-year-old Hilda Windsor Jones dead inside the home, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office told FOX Weather.
No one else was in the house at the time, and it is believed that the tree fell due to weather from the remnants of Debby, deputies said.
A Brown Summit, North Carolina, woman died Thursday night when a tree fell on her home, the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office said. (Rockingham County Sheriff's Office)
The latest death came the same day following Debby's second U.S. landfall near Bulls Bay, South Carolina.
FEMA's Urban Search and Rescue Team also located the body of a missing person in Lucama, North Carolina, after the person's house collapsed on them during a tornado Thursday.
Debby's impacts turn deadly in North Carolina
A powerful tornado from Debby tore through Wilson County, leaving significant damage in the small town of Lucama. Wilson County Director of Communications Stephen Mann joins FOX Weather with more on what happened.
As Debby made its presence known in the Carolinas, Springfield Middle School in Lucama also suffered extensive damage from what was likely the same twister.
Wilson County Schools Superintendent Lane Mills told FOX Weather that the damage to the school was heartbreaking. The tornado appears to have hit the 6th- and 7th-grade halls the hardest, where sections of the roof and walls were missing or compromised.
"I am thankful that students and staff were not in the building during the time of the storm," Mills said. "This situation will be ongoing, and we don’t yet know the full extent of the damage, but we will be sharing information and next steps with our families and staff as we can."
Raw video: Springfield Middle School in Wilson County, NC damaged by tornado
Video of Springfield Middle School in Wilson County, North Carolina, shows major damage to the school.
Additionally, the National Weather Service in Wilmington, North Carolina, issued Flash Flood Warnings on Thursday morning for several counties in southeastern North Carolina and northeastern South Carolina.
Cleanup is underway in the small southern North Carolina town of Bladenboro after heavy rainfall from Debby swamped it Wednesday night.
"At 9:30 p.m. it was dry as a bone, and at 10. p.m. it was like someone opened up a floodgate," Charles Peterson, head of Bladen County Commissioners, told FOX Weather.
By 11 p.m., downtown Bladenboro was underwater with about 4 feet of water, town officials stressed on social media, as roads turned into rivers.
Emergency management reported thunderstorms producing heavy rain in Bladenboro just before 5 a.m. ET after 5-8 inches of rain had fallen, flooding all roadways into the small town. Bladen County Emergency Services issued a voluntary evacuation order for residents in and around the town.
'PRAY FOR EVERYONE': FEET OF WATER FLOODS NORTH CAROLINA TOWN AS TROPICAL STORM DEBBY CHARGES INLAND
Debby's heavy rain and wind also caused the PGA to postpone the first round of the Wyndham Championship at the Sedgefield Country Club in Greensboro, North Carolina, until Friday.
President Joe Biden has approved emergency declarations for Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina and Florida. These declarations authorize FEMA to provide federal assistance to save lives, protect property and ensure public health and safety.
The first-ever "Particularly Dangerous Situation" Tornado Warning in the state of Delaware was issued on Thursday evening. The twister knocked over trees and caused hundreds to lose electricity, mainly in the northern part of the state.
Tornado sightings were also reported in North Carolina and Virginia as Debby continued to work northeastward.
damage in Milltown, Delaware on Thursday evening.