ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. (AP) - President Barack Obama has assured Florida Governor Rick Scott that his state will have "no unmet needs" as it responds to extreme weather and flooding from Tropical Storm Debby.
Obama called Scott from Air Force One as he flew to Atlanta for a campaign event. The president will be in Miami later Tuesday to attend two campaign fundraisers.
White House spokesman Jay Carney said Obama expressed his condolences for the loss of life, as well as the extensive storm damage. Carney said Obama told Scott the federal government would be in close contact with the state and stood ready to provide additional assistance if necessary.
Debby has socked Florida with high winds and heavy rain that has already led to flooding, with officials warning of more to come.
Parts of Interstate 10, the main highway across northern Florida, have been closed by flooding.
Forecasters expect the region to get as much as 8 inches more, and some places could see as much as two feet of rain by the time it's all over.
The National Hurricane Center said Debby is on a path that would slowly take it across the state and into the Atlantic by Friday. Debby's top winds are barely tropical storm status, at 45 miles an hour, but with the torrential rain it's creating rough surf.
Emergency officials say flooding is the main concern. People in several sparsely populated counties near the crook of Florida's elbow have been urged to leave low-lying neighborhoods.
In the Tampa Bay area, a number of roads, including Tampa's Bayshore Boulevard, have been washed out. To the north, the Florida Highway Patrol closed portions of I-10. Troopers report flooding in several areas where it crosses I-75.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
Photo Credit: CBS News
