US Death Toll From Hurricane Debby Reaches 4, Over 150,000 Without Power 

MOSCOW, Aug 6 (Bernama-Sputnik) -- At least four people have died and over 150,000 have been left without power as Hurricane Debby continues to batter the US East Coast, reported Sputnik, citing the NBC broadcaster.

A 12-year-old boy and a woman died in a car crash in Dixie County, Florida, on Monday, the broadcaster said. Prior to that, a truck driver lost control on a wet road in New Albany, Mississippi, and plunged into a canal, dying from a collision impact. An hour later, a 13-year-old boy was reportedly killed by a tree falling on a mobile home.

Across the states of Florida and Georgia, some 153,000 people have been cut off from electricity by the hurricane, according to the poweroutage.us monitoring website.

Florida Governor Ron DeSantis declared a state of emergency for the state's 61 counties on Monday.

Early on Tuesday, US President Joe Biden approved a request from South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster to declare a state of emergency across the state.

On Monday morning, the US National Hurricane Centre said Tropical Storm Debby had strengthened to the level of a hurricane. As of 0600 GMT, the hurricane's maximum sustained winds had reached 45 miles per hour.

-- BERNAMA-SPUTNIK