text: tropical storm debby ( 1994 ) tropical storm debby was a weak but costly tropical cyclone that affected the lesser antilles in september 1994 . it was the fourth named tropical storm of the 1994 atlantic hurricane season ; it developed on september 9 east of barbados . debby made landfall on saint lucia early on september 10 , producing heavy rainfall and tropical storm - force wind gusts . the rains caused flooding and landslides , damaging about half of the island 's banana plantations . several villages were isolated after roads and bridges were damaged . damage totaled about $ 103 million ( 1994 usd ) . on nearby dominica , debby damaged crops and fisheries . while debby was crossing saint lucia , its strongest thunderstorms were located north and east of the center due to wind shear . a station in martinique reported hurricane - force winds , and about 20 , 000 people on the island lost power . after entering the eastern caribbean sea , debby attained peak winds of 70 mph ( 110 km / h ) , although continued wind shear caused the storm to dissipate on september 11 . in puerto rico , one person died due to high waves . the storm caused power outages and flooding in the dominican republic . throughout its path , debby killed nine people . meteorological history the origins of tropical storm debby were from a tropical wave that moved off the coast of africa on september 4 . by september 6 , satellite images indicated a vigorous tropical wave with intense convection about midway between africa and the lesser antilles . encountering northwesterly vertical wind shear , convection markedly decreased and weakened on the following day , only to redevelop on september 8 after the shear dropped . post - analysis indicate that the sixth tropical depression of the season developed on september 9 at 1200 utc , about 185 mi ( 300 km ) east of barbados ; however , it was not operationally classified as tropical depression six until almost 24 hours later . early on september 10 , satellite imagery indicated a surface circulation just north of barbados , around which time the national hurricane center ( nhc ) initiated advisories . the increasing organization of the tropical depression prompted a reconnaissance aircraft investigation , which reported flight - level winds of around 70 mph ( 110 km / h ) in an intense rainband northeast of the center . the same flight estimated surface winds of 58 mph ( 93 km / h ) , which indicated that the depression intensified into tropical storm debby . however , ongoing wind shear removed all thunderstorms from the circulation . at 0300 utc on september 10 , the storm made landfall on saint lucia with winds of 65 mph ( 105 km / h ) . although debby was not very well - organized on satellite imagery , stations on martinique and nearby ships reported that the storm intensified further in the eastern caribbean sea to a peak strength of 70 mph ( 110 km / h ) at 0600 utc . such winds were not known while the storm was active , and around the time of debby 's peak intensity , the nhc operationally estimated winds of only 40 mph ( 64 km / h ) . the storm continued quickly to the west - northwest , affected by strong wind shear while maintaining strong winds . a reconnaissance flight on september 12 did not observe a closed circulation ; as a result , it is estimated that debby dissipated at around 0600 utc that day to the south of puerto rico . the remnants of debby continued to the west and diminished over mexico on september 15 , although residual clouds spread into the gulf of mexico . preparations and impact when the first advisory was issued for debby , the governments of barbados , saint lucia , saint vincent , and dominica issued tropical storm warnings . in addition , the saint lucia meteorological service issued a flood warning before debby developed . although the nhc recommended a tropical storm warning to be issued in martinique , government officials there issued a heavy rain warning instead . debby first affected barbados as it passed the island to the north , producing winds of 27 mph ( 43 km / h ) . in saint vincent to the southwest of barbados , there was minor roof damage . in dominica to the north , the storm damaged roads and caused power outages . across dominica , the combination of winds and heavy rains damaged 2 , 800 acres of bananas , 143 acres of plantains , 355 acres of root crops , and 355 acres of tree crops . damage to crops and fisheries were estimated at ec $ 30 million ( $ 12 million 1994 usd ) . after the storm , windward islands crop insurance ( wincrop ) paid claims in the country , amounting to ec $ 1 . 6 million ( $ 660 , 000 1994 usd ) . tropical storm debby struck saint lucia , and wind gusts on the island reached 46 mph ( 74 km / h ) in . damage throughout debby 's path was heaviest on this island , and the storm affected most of saint lucia . debby produced heavy rainfall and thunderstorms over a six - hour period , which caused flooding along rivers and in low - lying areas . high rainfall totals wrecked houses on hillsides , forcing about 150 people to evacuate to shelters . roadways were washed out or covered by landslides , and 10 bridges were destroyed or severely damaged . this limited access to villages across the island . landslides also affected the town of pont saint - jacques . heavy rains covered hewanorra international airport with 2 in ( 51 mm ) of silt , and in anse la raye , floods reached waist - deep levels . in that town , residents had to be rescued by boat . the storm damaged about half of the banana plantations on the island . several towns lost access to their water supplies , which prompted the governments of martinique and saint vincent to provide fresh water to the country . overall , there were 24 injuries and 4 deaths across saint lucia ; all of the deaths were from two landslides . during the storm , nine prisoners escaped the jail in castries , and there were also reports of looting . in the capital city of castries , the storm damaged a ward of an evacuated hospital ; it had been scheduled for reconstruction , and the effects from debby provided a new assessment for the rebuilding . damage on saint lucia was estimated at ec $ 250 million ( $ 103 million 1994 usd ) . after the storm , wincrop paid 5 , 802 claims for insured crop damage in the country , totaling ec $ 7 . 8 million ( $ 3 . 2 million 1994 usd ) . as of 2008 , debby was the largest event in wincrop 's 20 year history of insurance claims for disasters . the saint lucia government responded to the damage from debby by repairing damaged buildings and bridges , diversifying crops , and removing silt from major rivers . while debby was moving across saint lucia , a station in le vauclin in southeastern martinique reported 10 minute sustained winds of 64 mph ( 103 km / h ) , with a gust to 97 mph ( 156 km / h ) ; the observation provided the basis for debby 's peak intensity . when the storm was active , however , the strongest winds known at the time were a 10 minute wind of 35 mph ( 56 km / h ) , and a gust of 58 mph ( 93 km / h ) at martinique aimé césaire international airport . about half of the island experienced 4 in ( 100 mm ) of precipitation , and the highest rainfall total on the island was 7 . 24 in ( 184 mm ) in saint - joseph . high rains caused flooding across the island , and one woman drowned when a flooded river washed away her car . high winds downed trees and covered some roads , and there was damage to the banana crop . about 20 , 000 people lost power during the storm . when debby was still active , a nasa satellite fired lasers at the storm to measure cloud heights , the first such experiment . as debby moved into the caribbean sea , a tropical storm warning was issued for puerto rico and the united states virgin islands . high winds spread across puerto rico ; luis muñoz marín international airport reported a peak wind gust of 44 mph ( 71 km / h ) . the winds downed trees and power lines across the island and caused isolated roof and house damage . high seas entered several coastal homes and prevented ferry passage from culebra . in cabo rojo , puerto rico , high waves swept away two men fishing from the coast ; one was injured and the other was killed . later , a tropical storm warning was issued for the southern coasts of the dominican republic and haiti . after debby dissipated , its remnants maintained strong winds , and a station in the dominican republic reported a gust of 62 mph ( 100 km / h ) on september 11 . the storm downed power lines , leaving hundreds of homes without electricity and contributing to three deaths . an expressway and some rivers also flooded in the country .