Although Tropical Storm Debby has not yet made landfall, we are already seeing heavy flooding around Northeast Florida.

Florida Governor Rick Scott says we are expecting up to 20 inches of rain in parts of the state, so he has declared a state of emergency.

Scott has not yet asked for federal assistance, but he says the state government is working closely with both local and federal management officials to keep the state ready.

“We’ll work with county officials to position assets as necessary to deal with those issues,” he says.

Some of the biggest problems right now are heavy flooding and road and bridge closures.  Scott says local management officials are handling the closures, but everyone needs to be prepared for heavy rain and its effects which could be around for weeks.

“There is some potential for river flooding over the next week or two,” he says.

And these long term consequences are what residents around Florida need to be especially careful of.

“Often, the problem is not the storm or the hurricane, it’s what happens afterwards and how we respond to it.”

Debby is expected to make landfall later this week.