FORT MYERS, Fla. – Some areas of Florida were already feeling the impact of Tropical Storm Debby on Sunday as it made its way to the Big Bend area where it’s expected to make landfall.
MORE: Tropical Storm Debby expected to become a hurricane Sunday evening as it continues to strengthen | County-by-county: Government offices, school districts, other agencies announce closures ahead of Tropical Storm Debby
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Deputies from the Lee County Sheriff’s Office are on patrol trying to make sure residents are safe during the storm after heavy rain and storm surge flooded streets in Fort Myers.
Take a look at a Facebook post from LCSO.
According to media reports, Captiva and Bonita Beach roads also flooded and the LCSO is using its swamp buggy to navigate the flooded waters of Fort Myers Beach.
Video shows strong winds from the storm hammering the Pink Shell Resort in Fort Myers.
The storm is likely to become a strong Category 1 hurricane before making landfall Monday in the Big Bend region of Florida or the Florida Panhandle, the National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
Debby is then expected to move eastward over northern Florida and then stall over the coastal regions of Georgia and South Carolina, thrashing the region with potential record-setting rains totaling up to 30 inches beginning Tuesday. Officials also warned of life-threatening storm surge along Florida’s Gulf Coast, with 6 to 10 feet of inundation expected Monday between the Ochlockonee and Suwannee rivers.