As Tropical Storm Debby barrels its way to the Big Bend region, Okeechobee County is still under a state of emergency until at least Monday.
The county did see some strong wind gusts that Okeechobee County's Emergency Management team tells WPTV's Michael Hoffman topped out at around 40 mph with some bands of heavy rain. A tornado watch expired at 8 p.m. Sunday evening, but the team tells WPTV that it’s still important for people to stay aware as major flooding hits the Gulf coast of Florida.
“You know they’re staying informed, and they have a plan and they’re not going too crazy with anything you know," said Earl Wooten, Okeechobee County public safety director. "But they’re having enough sense about them to go about their day.”
Julio Gladamez is getting gas for his generator and his RV.
“Yeah, I prepared you know, I’m just trying to get some gas in case we need for the storm or whatever.”
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It’s just the smart thing to do, he says, with just how unpredictable storms can be.
"The storm, you know. Because a strong storm is coming, it's not easy because you never know how it's coming.”
And while the emergency management team says it's only expecting a max of four inches of rain, they know the track can often change with little warning.
“We’re listening to the state calls and the national weather service Melbourne calls here, checking in with dispatch, checking in with fire rescue and law enforcement seeing if there’s any types of reports or anything," said Wooten. "We have not had any reports today of any type of flooding or any type of damage.”
TRACKING THE TROPICS: Hurricane Center | Hurricane Guide
