Tropical Storm Debby: At least 5 dead, 177,000 without power in Florida

Aug. 5 (UPI) -- At least five people have died as slow-moving Tropical Storm Debby slammed into northern Florida's Big Bend area on Monday as a Category 1 storm and then moved into Georgia.

Debby, packing sustained winds of 80 mph, dumped dumped torrential rain across northern Florida along with life-threatening winds. It reached land at 7 a.m.

Idalia hit a similar area as Category 3 hurricane last August.

The storm was downgraded to a tropical storm at 11 a.m. EDT.

Four deaths were reported in Florida and one in Georgia.

At about 8 a.m., EDT, a tree fell on a mobile Home in Levy County, killing a 13-year-old boy who was hunkered down inside with his family. The county's sheriff's department said the boy was crushed by the tree that severely damaged the home.

There was no report of anyone else being injured in the incident.

Two people, a 38-year-old woman and a 12-year-old boy, died Sunday night in Dixie County after the vehicle they were in overturned on U.S.19 while driving through heavy rain produced by Debby. A 14-year-old boy was transported to the University of Florida Health with serious injuries.

The cab of a tractor-trailer fell into the water at the Tampa Bypass Canal early Monday after losing control, killing the driver after being found later Monday morning, Florida Highway Patrol said. The semi was southbound on I-75 when it lost control and hit a barrier before its cab fell into the canal.

A 19-year-old teenager died in Moultrie, Ga. , after a tree fell on the side of a house Monday afternoon, according to Colquitt County Coroner C. Verlyn Brock. Moultrie is located about 200 miles south of Atlanta.

As Debby slows down, it is expected to bring heavy flooding from heavy rain in Florida and Georgia on Monday with some forecasts predicting up to 20 inches in Savannah, Ga.

Debby created havoc on power, with PowerOutage.us reporting 300,714 locations without power in Florida and another 24,880 in Georgia early Monday. The numbers were down to 149,392 in Florida and 24,382 in Georgia at 8:30 p.m.

Packages with 70 pounds of cocaine washed up on a Key West Beach , a top official with the U.S. Border Patrol said .

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, who declared a state emergency in 61 of 67 counties on Thursday, said damage assessment teams will be in the field Tuesday.

Debby "did not bring the catastrophic hurricane-force winds that we've seen in previous storms like Hurricane Ian and Michael, but it has and continues to produce lots of water," DeSantis said at the state's Emergency Operations Center in Tallahassee.

"We are going to see flooding, particularly in the northern part of the state, (so) be very careful. Don't go out into flood waters. There can be hazards, debris and downed electrical cables. Please do not go driving if roads are underwater."

As of 3 p.m. Monday, all airports in the state were open.

On Monday, President Joe Biden approved an emergency declaration request from South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster. Earlier Biden approved a declaration for Florida.

Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp signed an order Saturday and North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper on Monday.

Vice President Kamala Harris has postponed a campaign event planned for Savannah, Ga. on Friday because of Debby.