Strong wind, rain hits Wrightsville Beach ahead of second landfall of TS Debby

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WILMINGTON, N.C. (WNCN) — Wrightsville Beach emptied out Wednesday as wind and rain from Tropical Storm Debby started to pick up in the evening. 

By 7 p.m., it was hard to find anyone in the water. A red flag at the entrance to the beach warned swimmers of hazardous conditions. New Hanover County’s Emergency Management Assistant Director Anna McRay spent the day urging people not to go in the water.

“We are really discouraging people from going to the beach front, you know, until the storm passes, because that puts such a strain on the public safety and first responders that may have to come help if somebody has a problem,” McRay said.

Off the shore, many boats are moved out of the marina. While the street of Wrightsville Beach were mostly empty in the evening, many restaurants did stay open for at least part of dinner.

The biggest concern for McRay when it comes to the impacts of Debby is the rain. A flash flood warning was issued shortly after 8 p.m. 

Wednesday afternoon she said 3-6 inches of rain were expected over the course of 24 hours.

“That much rain all at once, of course, can cause problems with with runoff and so on,” McRay said.

She said the county has two high water vehicles, one stationed at the north end and the other at the south end of the county. She expects the worst of the weather to be out of the county by late afternoon Thursday.

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Gilat Melamed

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