CBS News
Maps show Hurricane Debby’s path and forecast
Hurricane Debby made landfall Monday morning over Florida’s Big Bend coast, striking land around 7 a.m. ET as a Category 1 storm. Debby was forecast to bring severe and possibly monstrous storm surge — as high as 10 feet above ground level in some areas — to parts of the Gulf Coast of Florida. The storm could bring historic rainfall to surrounding states like Georgia and South Carolina, too, the National Hurricane Center said.
Debby slammed into the Big Bend coast, where the Florida panhandle meets the peninsula, near Steinhatchee, a small oceanside town about 70 miles west of Gainesville. The hurricane center said it was tracking slightly inland in the Big Bend region about an hour after landfall, with maximum sustained winds of 75 miles per hour.
NOAA/National Hurricane Center
Meteorologists expected that storm surge would be most catastrophic in the immediate vicinity of that landfall location, with the latest forecasts indicating a 130-mile stretch of coastline between Yankeetown and the Aucilla River could see surges between 6 and 10 feet above ground. Ten feet is almost as tall as a traditional ranch-style building.
The National Hurricane Center published a map early Monday illustrating the storm surge forecast.
“Water levels along the immediate coast could reach the following heights above ground level within the indicated areas,” reads a description of the map. “Elevated water levels will likely be accompanied by large and destructive waves.”
The figures printed on the map reflect the highest potential values in the peak surge range, and include the tide, the hurricane center said. Meteorologists noted that the timing of peak surge and high tide in a given area, and whether they coincide or not, will ultimately determine how disastrous the inundation will be.
NOAA / National Hurricane Center
Storm surge threats were expected to abate farther into the panhandle and down the length of the Gulf Coast — but only somewhat. Meteorologists warned that surges between 3 and 6 feet could hit areas west of the Aucilla River to Indian Pass, and south of Yankeetown to the Middle of Longboat Key. Debby could usher in as much as 5 feet of storm in and around Tampa Bay.
Coastal places even farther into the Gulf, as far south as Bonita Beach, could see dangerous storm surge as a result of the hurricane. So could coastal areas along a vast stretch of the southeastern United States, from the mouth of the St. Mary’s River, around where Florida meets Georgia, up to the South Santee River in South Carolina. That southeastern stretch includes major cities in both states, Savannah and Charleston, and could weather storm surge up to 4 feet above ground as Debby turns northeastward later on its path.
Debby was expected to slow down after making landfall on Monday, eventually shifting directions on a track anticipated to touch an expansive spread along the southeastern U.S. through the Carolinas before dissipating. In the hurricane center’s most recent path forecast for Debby, released several hours prior to the actual landfall time, meteorologists projected the storm would track from the Big Bend across northern Florida and up through a portion of the eastern coast of Georgia later on Monday and into Tuesday.
NOAA / National Hurricane Center
Forecasts suggested the storm could move off a linear path again late Tuesday and Wednesday, traveling inland while continuing northward to South Carolina and then likely turning back toward the coast on Thursday.
The hurricane center said Debby would probably weaken rapidly after the eye of the storm moved inland into northern Florida, shifting back into a tropical storm at some point Monday afternoon as wind speeds begin to dip. But meteorologists also warned that Debby could strengthen again after an initial period of weakening, depending on whether it oscillates between an inland and coastal path during its route over the southeastern states.
Debby was also expected to dump heavy rain totaling 6 to 12 inches, and even as high as 18 inches in some places, across central and northern Florida as well as central and northeast North Carolina throughout the rest of the week until Saturday morning. Meteorologists warned that the rainfall would likely cause considerable flash and urban flooding, and significant river flooding, in parts of the affected states.
Portions of southeast Georgia, the coastal plains of South Carolina and southeast North Carolina could see 10 to 20 inches of rainfall as Debby continues on its path, with maximum rainfall amounts as high as 30 inches, or almost three feet, in certain areas.
NOAA/National Hurricane Center
A handful of tornadoes could develop over central and northern Florida, as well as southeastern Georgia, on Monday, forecasters said. The tornado threat was expected to travel northeastward with the storm, into parts of South Carolina, later in the day and into Monday night.
One of 43 monkeys bred for medical research that escaped a compound in South Carolina has been recovered unharmed, officials said Saturday.
Many of the others are still located a few yards from the property, jumping back and forth over the facility’s fence, police said in a statement.
The Rhesus macaques made a break for it Wednesday after an employee at the Alpha Genesis facility in Yemassee didn’t fully lock a door as she fed and checked on them, officials said.
The monkeys on Friday were exploring the outer fence of the Alpha Genesis compound and were cooing at the monkeys inside. The primates continued to interact with their companions inside the facility on Saturday, which is a positive sign, the police statement said.
Yemassee Police Department
Alpha Genesis CEO Greg Westergaard relayed that efforts to recover all the animals will persist throughout the weekend and for as long as it takes, the statement said.
Westergaard told CBS News on Thursday that a caretaker inadvertently failed to secure a door at the enclosure, allowing the monkeys to roam free.
“It’s really like follow-the-leader. You see one go and the others go,” he said. “It was a group of 50 and 7 stayed behind and 43 bolted out the door.”
Westergaard acknowledged that it would be a long process to get them back and that they didn’t want to chase the monkeys because that would spook them and make them run away.
“We’ve got them very close,” he told CBS News. “This is all like what we want to see.”
The monkeys are about the size of a cat. They are all females weighing about 7 pounds.
Alpha Genesis, federal health officials and police all said the monkeys pose no risk to public health. The facility breeds the monkeys to sell to medical and other researchers.
Alpha Genesis provides primates for research worldwide at its compound in Yemassee, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) northeast of Savannah, Georgia, according to its website.
A 31-year-old American tourist was killed while on vacation in Hungary’s capital, and the suspect, a 37-year-old Irish man, has been arrested, Hungarian police said Saturday.
The victim, Mackenzie Michalski was reported missing on Nov. 5 after she was last seen at a nightclub in central Budapest.
A Facebook group called “Find Mackenzie Michalski,” created on November 7, said Michalski, went by “Kenzie.” The group confirmed her death in a statement on Friday, thanking U.S. and Hungarian authorities for “their prompt attention, diligence, care, and consideration.”
Police launched a missing person investigation and reviewed security footage from local nightclubs where they observed Michalski with a man later identified as the suspect in several of the clubs the night of her disappearance.
Police detained the man, an Irish citizen, on the evening of Nov. 7. Investigators said that Michalski and the suspect met at a nightclub and danced before leaving for the man’s rented apartment. The man killed Michalski while they were engaged in an “intimate encounter,” police said.
The suspect, whom police identified by the initials L.T.M., later confessed to the killing but said it had been an accident. Police said that he had attempted to cover up his crime by cleaning the apartment and hiding Michalski’s body in a wardrobe before purchasing a suitcase and placing her body inside.
He then rented a car and drove to Lake Balaton, around 90 miles southwest of Budapest, where he disposed of the body in a wooden area outside the town of Szigliget.
Video released by police showed the suspect guiding authorities to the location where he had left the body. Police said the suspect had made internet searches before being apprehended on how to dispose of a body, police procedures in missing person cases, whether pigs really eat dead bodies and the presence of wild boars in the Lake Balaton area.
He also made an internet search inquiring about the competence of Budapest police.
Michalski’s parents are currently in Budapest, police told The Associated Press.
Friends posted condolences on the Facebook group of candles. Michalski was a nurse practitioner, the social media post said, who used “her humor, positivity, and limitless empathy to help heal her patients and encourage family and friends alike.”
Two years of record-breaking drought have dealt a heavy blow to what is arguably the Amazon’s most successful sustainable economy: the managed fishery for the giant pirarucu.
In Brazil´s Amazonas state, almost 6,000 riverine dwellers authorized to fish have reported a sharp drop in production and rising costs. They are demanding aid from the federal government and debating how to adapt to climate change.
Last year’s catch totaled 70% of the government-authorized quota of 100,443 fish. This year could see an even steeper decline, since many communities still haven´t been able to fish. The season runs from June 1 to Nov. 30.
Jorge Saenz / AP
Pirarucu managed fishing began in the Amazon 25 years ago in the Mamiraua region and has since expanded. It helped the Amazon’s largest fish escape risk of extinction and is now an important source of income for locals in 10 sustainable conservation units and eight Indigenous territories, where deforestation is close to zero.
Unlike other aquatic species of the Amazon, such as river dolphins, the pirarucu — also known as arapaima — historically have proven resilient to drought and climate change. But low water levels are making it extremely difficult for fishers to transport their catch from remote lakes to major rivers and onto cities.
It’s a mammoth task. The pirarucu, which can weigh up to 200 kilograms (440 pounds), lives in large lakes that during flood season are often connected to major rivers. Fishing typically occurs when water levels begin to recede, making it easier to trap the fish and transport them out in small boats or canoes. In several areas, however, water levels dropped so quickly that this connection was cut off before fishing could begin.
In the São Raimundo community in the Medio Jurua region, fishing is scheduled to start Saturday, a two-month delay — a common situation this season. As a result, Coletivo Pirarucu, an umbrella organization that represents 2,500 riverine and Indigenous families, has requested that the federal government extend fishing season until the end of January.
Even in large rivers navigation has become problematic, raising costs and uncertainty among fishermen. It usually takes three to four days to transport fish from Carauari municipality — a major pirarucu producer — to Manaus, the Amazon´s largest city. During the peak of the drought, the trip increased to 10 days, and the freight price has doubled.
Tough as pirarucu are, they are not immune to climate change, according to researcher Adalberto Luis Val from the National Institute for Amazonian Research. He says rising temperatures and severe droughts are exacerbating the “death trio” for all fish: warmer water, more CO2 and less oxygen.
The pirarucu has evolved to breathe air but is far from invincible.
“No fish can regulate body temperature,” Val said. “Then there’s water scarcity. As its level drops, you start to get a high amount of suspended material, leading to sludge buildup. It sticks to the gill area, blocking the processes that occur there.”
Fearing deteriorating conditions in the following decades, Coletivo Pirarucu contends that the fishermen should be entitled to compensation for losses caused by climate change. “This crisis not only challenges the resilience of communities but also highlights the urgent need for climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies,” the nonprofit stated in an open letter last week.
In an e-mail response, James Bessa, a federal official overseeing pirarucu management, said that Ibama, Brazil´s environmental agency, is working with other public bodies and local fishing associations to reduce the impact of extreme events like droughts and floods. He said there are plans to start scientific studies and closer monitoring to provide insights into ways to support riverine and Indigenous communities in sustaining their fishing activities.
Adevaldo Dias — a riverine leader who presides over the Chico Mendes Memorial, a nonprofit that assists traditional non-Indigenous communities — argues that adopting additional public policies to help the fishermen is a matter of climate justice.
“The Indigenous and riverine peoples have minimal impact on the environment,” Dias said. “We know that conserving the forest benefits both us and those outside it. And when extreme climate events occur, they are the most vulnerable.”
