Tropical Storm Debby is on the move. Residents of the southeastern United States watch the skies for downpours. They watch the ground for floods. Debby is a menace!

Debby slammed into Florida on Tuesday. Police, firefighters, and others rescued hundreds of people from flooded homes.

Workers at the National Hurricane Center gave a warning on Tuesday. They say up to 25 inches of rain might fall in some areas.

Van Johnson is the mayor of Savannah, Georgia. He tells residents, “Hunker down.”

The storm’s center was just southwest of Savannah early Tuesday. Its fastest winds blew at speeds near 45 miles per hour. Think about what it feels like to ride in a car at 45 miles per hour. You don’t want to hang out in wind that fast.

Tropical cyclones get their energy from warm water. Because of that, Debby is getting weaker as she moves farther from the ocean. Forecasters expect the storm’s center to move back over the water off the Georgia and South Carolina coast soon. That means the storm could grow stronger Wednesday. It will likely move inland again on Thursday over South Carolina.

More than six inches of rain fell on Monday at Savannah’s airport. That’s a month’s worth of rain in a single day!

When dangerous weather passes through, officials do what they can to protect people. Officials issued flash flood warnings in Savannah and Charleston, South Carolina. Both cities announced overnight curfews. Charleston also opened parking garages so residents could park their cars above floodwaters.

Airlines canceled more than 1,600 flights nationwide. Many of those flights were supposed to go to and from Florida. 

Pray for those whose homes and property were damaged by Tropical Storm Debby. Ask God to protect the people in the storm’s path. 

The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. — Psalm 121:8