Residents across the Southeast are bracing for historic flooding as Tropical Storm Debby moves through the region. The system is expected to dump unprecedented amounts of rain on Georgia and the Carolinas after making landfall in Florida as a Category 1 hurricane on Monday.

CBN's Operation Blessing is on the ground in Georgia to assist disaster victims in the name of Jesus. The Christian relief organization is responding to the devastation caused by Debby.

Operation Blessing teams will begin damage assessment in the hardest-hit areas along the southeastern U.S. coast, including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina, and are ready to provide much-needed assistance to residents struggling with the damage as torrential rains and strong winds slowly move through the region this week.

Debby is expected to dump record-breaking amounts of rain along coastal regions from Florida to North Carolina – between 20 and 30 inches – more than the previous high set by Tropical Storm Florence in 2018.

The historic city of Charleston, South Carolina, is one of many cities bracing for what could be unprecedented flooding as millions of people could be affected. Residents and business owners are fortifying their properties with sandbags while police are sealing off roads in vulnerable areas. South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster has declared a state of emergency, highlighting the likely damage.

“This may be the highest water we've seen in a long time,” he said at a news conference on Monday. “So stay tuned, stay alert and stay safe.”

PHOTO: Floodwaters block a section of Dodecanese Blvd at the Tarpon Springs Sponge Docks, Monday morning, Aug. 5, 2024, in Tarpon Springs, Fla., as Hurricane Debby passes offshore of Tampa Bay. (Douglas R. Clifford/Tampa Bay Times via AP)

A tornado caused property damage south of Charleston, and the threat of further hurricanes remains throughout the region.

In Savannah, Georgia, Mayor Van Johnson urged residents to seek safety.

“This kind of rain that's hanging over us and coming with the intensity that they're predicting,” he said, “is going to surprise a whole lot of people.”

Hurricane Debby hit Florida's Gulf Coast on Monday with sustained winds of 80 mph. The storm surge and more than a foot of rain left streets flooded in places like Gainesville and Sarasota, where authorities declared flash flood emergencies. Tens of thousands of homes were without power.

The Florida National Guard conducted hundreds of flood rescues in flooded neighborhoods.

The storm is believed to have claimed at least five lives, including a 13-year-old Florida boy who died in his bedroom in a mobile home that was struck by a falling tree. In Georgia, a 19-year-old man was also killed by a falling tree. Near Tampa, police say, the driver of a truck lost control of his semi-trailer, which then plunged into the water. Two other people died in Florida in traffic accidents related to Debby.

Meanwhile, one boater is thankful to be alive. Nathan Thomas and his friend were rescued from 20-foot waves off Florida's Gulf Coast. He said the storm came quicker than expected and they lost their sailboat's sail.

“It's like a washing machine in the Gulf,” he said. “I knew if the Coast Guard didn't catch us, our chance of survival was probably less than 50 percent.”

Meteorologists expect Debby to move north as far as Boston during the week.