MARY LOUISE KELLY, HOST:
Hurricane Debby has been downgraded to a tropical storm after making landfall this morning in Florida's Big Bend. It is a slow-moving storm that is bringing historic levels of rainfall to Florida. Governor Ron DeSantis says there have been four fatalities attributed to the storm. Well, Kerry Sheridan with member station WUSF is in Sarasota, Fla., where she is stuck in her home because of flooding. Hey, Kerry.
KERRY SHERIDAN, BYLINE: Hi, Mary Louise.
KELLY: Hi. I'm so sorry. I hope you're safe. Tell me how you're doing. And how's everybody in your neighborhood? What are you seeing?
SHERIDAN: Well, we're fine. The streets started flooding around 6:00 a.m. this morning, and then the water really rose within an hour or two, and it's just stayed high. I'm in a neighborhood about six miles from the coast, so this floodwater seems to be coming from, like, the foot of rain that we got, which was a record. And it was just multiplied by the rising levels in the canals and creeks and rivers.
So when I look out my front door, the whole street is like a big, dirty pond. You know, there's garbage floating, debris. The water's up to the middle of the grille on my neighbor's sedan. You know, in another six to 12 inches, it will get into my house. So, so far, it's just lapping outside the front step, but it's unnerving. And we do have more rain expected tonight.
KELLY: Yeah. OK. I know a lot of people's houses are flooded. I know that you - while stuck inside, I'm so sorry - you've been making calls checking on other areas. What else are you hearing?
SHERIDAN: Well, aerial photos are showing just massive inland flooding. Hundreds of people have been rescued. Sarasota is just completely flooded. A lot of people were taken by surprise by this. And it came even after the worst of the storm had passed us by. Here's Brie Ondercin, whose neighborhood has flooded eight miles from the coast.
BRIE ONDERCIN: We've lived in Sarasota since 1996, and this is the worst we've ever seen. According to our neighbors, who went kayaking down our street, they used their paddles to touch bottom, and they say it's about four feet deep.
KELLY: Now, Debby was a hurricane, a Category 1 hurricane, when it hit land. Governor DeSantis, I understand, is saying the major damage is not actually from wind but from water. How does that affect the task at hand for emergency crews?
SHERIDAN: Well, yeah, he said this afternoon, they have National Guard on the ground to assess the damages and check infrastructure and things like that. And officials are warning that this flooding may not go down quickly, and it could linger for three to seven days depending on the area. So police and fire rescue teams are still pulling people out of flooded homes, using boats and large trucks.
And rescue crews here are really stretched thin. They're actually asking people to only call 911 if it's a true emergency. So, you know, Sarasota County had planned to be open today, and then the floodwaters rose really quickly. Here's Fire Chief David Rathbun saying the area got twice the rain it expected from forecasts, and the water has nowhere to go.
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DAVID RATHBUN: So with that high tide and up to a four foot of storm surge, with all of the rain that we've had, the tributaries are full, and the water's not able to run off.
KELLY: Just real quick, Kerry, what is in store for people in Georgia and the Carolinas?
SHERIDAN: Well, the meteorologists say it's going to slow down and linger through tomorrow in north Florida, then move into Georgia and the Carolinas, dumping 30 inches of rain.
KELLY: All righty (ph). Thank you, Kerry.
SHERIDAN: Thank you.
KELLY: Kerry Sheridan, at home, with water rising fast. She's with WUSF in Sarasota. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
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