Debby floods neighborhoods in northern Florida

Tropical storm Debby destroyed homes and businesses, washed away streets and flooded neighborhoods in Florida before the once-large storm drifted out to sea Wednesday, leaving behind a sopping mess.
At least three people were killed in the storm. More than 100 homes and businesses were flooded and officials warned the waters may not recede until next week in some places. The storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of customers, though most had electricity restored by the time Debby left the state.
The tropical storm formed in the Gulf on Saturday and gradually made its way across the Florida, drenching the state for several days before it weakened to a depression. The windy, rainy weather ruined vacations for some.
In Live Oak, a small city in northern Florida, water was up to the roofs of some homes and cars were submerged. In other places, residents stood in several feet (meters) of water as they checked out the damage to their homes.
Even though Debby lost its strength, emergency management officials said they expect the aftermath to continue causing problems with swollen lakes and rivers, along with record rainfall.
"It's not over. We've got a long way to go," said Brian Koon, the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. "We'll be dealing with flooding for the next week."
More than 200 people stayed in shelters across the state Tuesday evening.
Koon's department and FEMA will begin the formal damage assessment process on Friday. There was no immediate cost estimate for the damage.
The storm dumped about 10 inches (25 centimeters) of rain on Tampa. Cities in the state's north fared worse.
Authorities on Wednesday confirmed another storm-related death near St. Petersburg.
Armando Perez, 71, was found dead in flood waters outside of his Indian Rocks Beach home, the Pinellas County sheriff's office said. Perez had a heart attack and officials said he likely couldn't out of the flood to get help.
Over the weekend, a woman died in a tornado in Florida and a man disappeared in the rough surf off the coast of Alabama.
Along the state's beach communities, other worries emerged.
In Manatee County, nearly 200 endangered sea turtles lost their nests, while in Pinellas County, entire colonies of nesting seabirds were wiped out.
"I've never seen anything this bad here in this area," said Barb Walker of the Clearwater Audubon Society.
Walker added that some eagle nests were also destroyed and more than a dozen baby deer were separated from their mothers during the storm _ but most of the babies were reunited with their herds.
There is some hope for the sea turtle population, said Suzi Fox, the director of Anna Maria Island Turtle Watch and Shorebird Monitoring.
Although she estimated that some 180 nests in the county were destroyed, she saw 11 new nests on Wednesday morning. The turtles have six weeks of nesting season left.
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Lush reported from St. Petersburg, Florida, and photographer Dave Martin contributed from Live Oak.
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