Thousands of people in Florida have been forced to leave their homes after Tropical Storm Debby inflicted 2 feet of rain across the state.

The center of the storm crossed the shore late on Tuesday afternoon near Steinhatchee, in the Big Bend area where the Panhandle joins the peninsula.

Forecasters say Debby could bring another 4 to 8 inches of rain - and possibly tornadoes - to north Florida and southeast Georgia in the next two days.

Emergency managers in Pasco County on Florida's central Gulf Coast ordered 20,000 people living between the Anclote and Pithlachascotee Rivers to be evacuated

Emergency crews had to use boats to reach stranded residents in some areas, and 106 Pasco County homes had been damaged.

Tropical storm warnings were in effect for much of Florida's Gulf coast and could be extended inland as the storm moves slowly east over the state in the next few days.

The Florida Governor declared a state of emergency on Monday and ordered all state agencies, including the Florida National Guard, to provide any necessary assistance requested by local governments.

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