Tropical Storm Debby causes widespread flooding, Interstate 10 closure

Shirley Hendrickson and her family spent Tuesday trying to salvage some of their belongings. She was awakened at 1 a.m. to find water in her house. "By then there was water in the house already past our ankles. Now, it's up past our knees in there. I lost everything I got; my computer, my TV."

Dozens of homes in a Live Oak neighborhood are flooded.
 
The biggest fear in the neighborhood is that the water isn't done rising, and that it will get worse tomorrow and the next day.

"I had to go try to swim in and save somebody, because he didn't want to leave the house, you know, he was an older resident," said flood victim Saione Williams.

The rising water also forced the closing of Interstate 10 late Monday night. It remained closed Tuesday.

"The interstate being closed inconveniences everybody, but safety is priority," said Florida Highway Patrol Trooper Al Hughes.

The closure resulted in a 25 mile detour that left many motorists baffled.

In Tallahassee, the state's emergency management director Bryan Koon told the governor and cabinet the worst danger may be yet to come. "Oftentimes in these storms, it's not the actual storm that causes injuries or death, it's the cleanup process. So you need to make sure you don't enter standing water."

The flooding is expected to continue throughout the week. Interstate 10 was covered with water one foot deep, in at least three locations.