Nearly 500 residents needed to be rescued from their homes in Sarasota County in Florida in the aftermath of Tropical Storm Debby dumping heavy rain in the area.
Fire officials in the county said they responded to 495 calls since Sunday night, numbers that were expected to go up into Monday night, according to multiple media outlets, including WFTS-TV.
"We are not out of the woods yet," police announced on Facebook, Patch reported
Debby, which subsequently gained hurricane strength ahead of landfall early Monday morning, dumped 9.52 inches of rain in Sarasota, shattering the record of 8.12 inches set in 2017.
The flooding prompted the county to open an evacuation center at Sarasota Technical College.
"We urge everyone to stay off the roads and avoid preventable incidents," police said. "Your cooperation is crucial in helping us focus our resources on those in need."
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