Tropical Storm Debby tied to two deaths

Tropical Storm Debby is linked to two deaths, a man swept to sea while swimming on an Alabama beach and a woman killed in a Florida windstorm, authorities say. The National Hurricane Center in Miami said in a 10 p.m. CDT Sunday advisory that Debby was stalled about 110 miles south-southwest of Apalachicola, Fla., and about 200 miles east-southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River. The storm was generating sustained winds of 60 mph with higher gusts. Tropical storm-force winds extended up to 200 miles out from Debby's center. The Press-Register in Mobile, Ala., reported authorities said a South Carolina man who was swimming in Orange Beach was presumed to have drowned about 1:45 p.m. Sunday in the heavy surf. The search for the unidentified man was suspended about 7:45 p.m. The News-Press in Fort Myers, Fla., reported the Highland County Sheriff's Office attributed the death of a woman in Venus to the severe weather spawned by the off-shore tropical storm. Four homes in the area were destroyed and several others were damaged. The newspaper said it had not been confirmed whether a tornado had touched down. The hurricane center had tropical storm warnings in effect from the Mississippi-Alabama state line eastward to the Suwannee River in Florida. A tropical storm watch was in effect south of the Suwannee to Englewood, Fla. Forecasters said Debby had been nearly stationary for several hours and little movement was expected for the next couple of days, though some gradual strengthening is possible. But they said their forecast was "uncertain due to weak steering currents." Debby was expected to produce 10-15 inches of rain over the Florida Panhandle and northern Florida with up to 25 inches possible. Lesser amounts were expected elsewhere in the state. Flash floods were possible across northern Florida and southern Alabama, the hurricane center said. Two to 4 inches of rain were expected across the Gulf Cost., with a few tornadoes possible Sunday night and Monday.