Local

Justice Kite (from left) gets a bag of ice from Darius Parker as she and Cassie Burke, Vystar employees, prepare to give the ice to southern Columbia County residents who were left without electricity following Hurricane Debby. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Justice Kite (from left) gets a bag of ice from Darius Parker as she and Cassie Burke, Vystar employees, prepare to give the ice to southern Columbia County residents who were left without electricity following Hurricane Debby. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Food, water distributed around county after Debby

TONY BRITT
Wednesday, August 7, 2024
FORT WHITE — Hurricane Debby dumped several inches of rain on the area as the storm cut a path through the region.
Flood waters rush across Falling Creek Road on Monday after Hurricane Debby passed through. Columbia County Fire Rescue firefighters pulled a woman from a flood vehicle in the waters Monday evening. (COURTESY COLUMBIA COUNTY FIRE RESCUE)

Flood waters rush across Falling Creek Road on Monday after Hurricane Debby passed through. Columbia County Fire Rescue firefighters pulled a woman from a flood vehicle in the waters Monday evening. (COURTESY COLUMBIA COUNTY FIRE RESCUE)

Firefighters rescue woman from flooded vehicle

MORGAN MCMULLEN
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
A daring rescue near Falling Creek in the aftermath of Hurricane Debby had one woman shaken up but ultimately safe after getting her vehicle stuck in rising waters.

Second GOP rally pushed back by storm

NEWS STAFF
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
The Columbia County Republican Party’s second political rally has been postponed. The party announced Monday that its second rally, scheduled for the Florida Gateway Fairgrounds, was being rescheduled due to Hurricane Debby.

Storm forecast eased slightly

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
Experts at Colorado State University slightly scaled back their forecast for the already-active Atlantic storm season, a day after Hurricane Debby, now a tropical storm, made landfall in North Florida.
Flood waters cross over SE Inglewood Avenue in Lake City on Monday afternoon after Hurricane Debby dumped up to 16 inches of rain on the area. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Flood waters cross over SE Inglewood Avenue in Lake City on Monday afternoon after Hurricane Debby dumped up to 16 inches of rain on the area. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter)

Columbia County addressing public infrastructure ‘big mess’

JAMIE WACHTER
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
With Hurricane Debby dropping around a foot of rain on North Florida on Monday, local officials are busy responding to the flooding and wind damage left behind.
Vehicles drive through flood waters on Branford Highway (State Road 247) on Monday afternoon after Hurricane Debby drenched the area with approximately 10 inches of rain. (STASI WACHTER/Special to the Reporter)

Vehicles drive through flood waters on Branford Highway (State Road 247) on Monday afternoon after Hurricane Debby drenched the area with approximately 10 inches of rain. (STASI WACHTER/Special to the Reporter)

Debby drenches North Florida

JAMIE WACHTER
Monday, August 5, 2024
As Hurricane Debby moved out of North Florida on Monday afternoon, it left behind floodwaters. Heather Futch, Columbia County public information officer, said flooding was an issue in both the northern and southern portions of the county Monday afternoon. The storm, which made landfall around 7 a.
Hurricane Debby made landfall Monday morning near Steinhatchee. (NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER)

Hurricane Debby made landfall Monday morning near Steinhatchee. (NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER)

Debby makes landfall near Steinhatchee

NEWS STAFF
Monday, August 5, 2024
TALLAHASSEE — Hurricane Debby made landfall about 7 a.m. Monday near Steinhatchee with maximum sustained winds of 80 mph, bringing the rural Big Bend region its second hurricane in less than a year, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Amber Clark fills up a sandbag at Southside Sports Complex as she prepares for Tropical Storm Debby. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter).

Amber Clark fills up a sandbag at Southside Sports Complex as she prepares for Tropical Storm Debby. (TONY BRITT/Lake City Reporter).

Shelters opening in Columbia County

NEWS STAFF
Sunday, August 4, 2024
Four shelters will be opening Sunday afternoon and evening in advance of Tropical Storm Debby. During an emergency briefing Sunday, county officials announced three general population and one special needs emergency shelters would be opening.
Power trucks staged Saturday at the Florida Gateway Fairgrounds in preparation for Tropical Storm Debby. The trucks, from various companies across the country, will help Florida Power & Light restore power where needed after impact. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Power trucks staged Saturday at the Florida Gateway Fairgrounds in preparation for Tropical Storm Debby. The trucks, from various companies across the country, will help Florida Power & Light restore power where needed after impact. (JAMIE WACHTER/Lake City Reporter)

Tropical Storm Debby could hit Florida as hurricane

NEWS SERVICE OF FLORIDA
Saturday, August 3, 2024
TALLAHASSEE — A Category 1 hurricane is forecast to make landfall Monday morning in North Florida’s Big Bend region, which the powerful Hurricane Idalia hammered nearly a year ago, according to the private meteorology company AccuWeather.