Wakulla County Florida Could Get 33 Inches of Rain

Debby lives on in the form of rain and part of Florida are feeling the brunt of it.

Reports say Wakulla County, Florida could get up to 33 inches of rain before it is over.  This is an advisory from Channel 27 WTXL and ABC affiliate in the area.

River levels are rising. The Sopchoppy River is already above tropical storm Faye's water level and water levels continue to rise.

There have also been reported occasional wind gusts up to forty miles an hour. This storm is very slow-moving.

One Crawfordville resident says today alone his rain gauge shows eighteen inches and that was back at 530 pm Monday. “We keep lots of canned vegetables on hand and water because the lights go out a lot you know down here this way when the wind blows like this so like I said it's been blowing rain all day,” explained Craige Goodman.

Goodman says as of Monday afternoon his family will not be evacuating but if the winds get stronger and they get an increased amount of standing water in the backyard they will reconsider. They also lost power for about an hour Monday afternoon.

We spoke with another resident and property owner who explained that one of his building's parking lots flooded over 5 inches in about 2 hours.

“We have outdoor lighting over here that shines up that's ground level and as a result of that when water got up to that level this man has advised me that I need to turn the electricity off because it will short out and somebody could be electrocuted because water is a conductor of electricity,” explained Harold Thurmond.

Thurmond is referring to a local electrician. He has since turned that electricity off to ensure his tenants' safety.

He explains that he has owned property since 1984 and has never seen flooding like this.

Thurmond is also getting sandbags from Wakulla County to place in front of his tenants' doors.

Officials say people who decide to evacuate low-lying areas should use extreme caution and should not cross flooded roadways. If you are not evacuating, you're urged to stay off the roads.

Numerous roads are under water and are several feet deep in some locations.

Officials say a flash flood emergency is in effect and you're advised that if you see rapidly rising water you should seek higher ground immediately.

Debby in Gulf, Expected to Become a Hurricane

A tropical storm warning was issued Sunday for Alabama to the Florida Panhandle as Debby lashed parts of the Gulf Coast with wind and rain.

The National Hurricane Center in Miami said Sunday morning that Debby was about 170 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. It said the storm warning has now been issued from the Mississippi-Alabama border eastward to the Florida Panhandle's Ochlockonee River.

Debby's top sustained winds had increased to about 60 mph.  It is expected to become a Category 1 hurricane at some point.

People from Texas to Florida should remain alert to Debby's movement.

Forecasters said Debby could be near hurricane strength by Monday night. Meanwhile, up to six inches of rain were possible along the coast, with isolated amounts possibly reaching 10 inches.