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Tropical storm Debby is the fourth named storm of the year, marking the first time there have been four named storms before July first. Mike Vasilinda is in Apalachicola, where the storm has already cut power lines and forced Tourists to head for calmer weather.

Electrical line crews are being moved into the panhandle by the dozens.

Scattered power outages plague North Florida. St. George Island, off Apalachicola, has been ordered evacuated,

“The power company is saying power not until Friday or the weekend,” state trooper John Tallman said.

sending tourists home.

The Belts family from Marshall, Illinois is looking for blue skies.

“Well, this isn’t the first time we’ve been through a Tropical Storm here, so we’re headed somewhere else now,” Gretchen Belts said.

Reporter: Where are you going?

“We’re not sure yet, ” she said.

Debby is the first time that there have been four named storms before July first.
The banks of the Apalachicola River are about one hundred feet over here, you can see it’s already overflowing, covering roads. The real danger of this storm isn’t it’s intensity, but just how long all of this is going to last.

Local residents are taking the storm in stride.

“Who knows what’s going to happen,” Carrabelle resident Linda Westenfelder said. “We’re just trying to be careful. We boarded up last week just to make sure.”

The state has not yet asked for Federal assistance, but Governor Rick Scott has declared a state of emergency.

“Like always, everybody should have food and water on hand,” Scott said. “Just be prepared and use common sense. And be careful.”

The state’s emergency operations center is at level one, its highest activation.