‘This storm was different’: Savannah recovers from flooding as Tropical Storm Debby leaves Georgia

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Savannah Mayor Van Johnson speaks at City Hall during a news conference on Aug. 7, 2024.

Credit: Benjamin Payne / GPB News

The center of Tropical Storm Debby has passed Coastal Georgia as it makes its way to South Carolina, but Savannah is still recovering from heavy flooding.

The city has seen about 10 inches of rain since Monday from the system — “well above” twice the rainfall Savannah usually receives throughout the entire month of August, according to City Manager Jay Melder.

“This storm was different,” Mayor Van Johnson said at a Wednesday afternoon news conference. “Usually [when] you see a hurricane, it's coming from the front…and it's wind and it's storm surge and all these things. No, this was something different. Debby was a mean girl. She came from behind us, snuck up on us, then sat and just stayed there and just rained and rained and rained.”

Johnson said that he would like to see a stormwater fee added to residents' utility bills in the future to help pay for improvements to the city's drainage system.

No injuries or deaths from Debby have been reported in Savannah.

Some of the greatest flood damage from Debby occurred in the Tremont Park neighborhood on the city's west side, where 10 people were rescued from five homes by the Savannah Fire Department. Another eight rescues were conducted elsewhere in Savannah.

Several canals remain flooded and will take a few more days for city crews to pump, according to stormwater management director Zack Hoffman, who added that no roads have caved in.

The city opened three shelter facilities for housed and unhoused residents, serving 142 people at the Savannah Civic Center, Enmarket Arena and the Tompkins Community Center, according to community services officer Taffanye Young.

Savannah-Chatham County Schools will remain closed Thursday.

The National Weather Service is forecasting less than one more inch of rain for Savannah through Friday.

Initial forecasts from the agency predicted that the city would receive 20 inches of rain from Debby.

Wednesday afternoon, Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp extended the state of emergency through Aug. 15, 2024.