Steinhatchee submerged: Debby leaves behind floodwaters and powerful gusts

STEINHATCHEE, Fla. (WCTV) - There was a lot of anxiety surrounding Tropical Storm Debby, especially from residents in Taylor County as many of them are still recovering from last year’s hurricane season.

The Category 1 storm landed in the coastal town of Steinhatchee, with powerful winds reaching 80 mph blasted across the beachy town. The storm dumped inches of rain onto beaches and sandy roads.

Resident Ricky Marrow said they were up all night on Sunday during the storm.

“The water is what really hurt us,” He said. “Everybody knows what Idalia done to us, that was real bad and we were sure hoping this wasn’t going to do it again.”

Waves swept over the sea walls onto roadways, as an aggressive wind pushed through the coast. Despite the severe weather, Morrow said the community is helping eachother however they can.

“Everyone knows what to do in an emergency situation so we just call on each other and we do what we can to help each other,” Marrow said.

As of noon, Taylor County officials urged residents to stay inside their homes as the roads are not safe to travel on and the water level is still very high.

See some of the damage in the videos below.

As the county prepares to assess the damage, emergency response teams are patrolling the area ready to help anyone in need.

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