Cooper said the state's southeastern region could see as much as 15 inches of rain, and the central area getting up to 10 inches.
He told North Carolinians never to drive through flooded roads or around barricades.
“It only takes six inches of fast-moving flood water to knock over an adult and just 12 inches to carry away most cars. Now is not the time to see if your car floats, because it doesn't,” he said.
Cooper added that there had already been fatalities related to the storm in Florida and Georgia and that the state's Department of Transportation and first responders in past storms have “lost too many lives” because people were trying to walk or drive through water.
The governor said forecasters are also predicting rivers to crest starting Friday and into the weekend and that tornadoes may occur during Debby.
According to Cooper, 350 soldiers and airmen have been activated to deal with the storm, and 17 swift water rescue teams, mostly in eastern North Carolina, are on standby. He’s also staged teams and resources to support hospitals and EMS services. There are also hazardous materials teams if an emergency arises with the storm.
Cooper designated a state of emergency on Monday to move supplies, equipment, and crops before the storm. President Joe Biden had declared an emergency for the state in anticipation of Debby. That means Cooper can access financial federal disaster assistance to help cover the storm's costs. This reimbursement of 75% will be provided to counties in the Cape Fear region.
Cooper told the public to access general storm information through readync.gov and to view flood-inundated areas on fiman.nc.gov
To find the latest information about the storm, visit the National Weather Service Wilmington’s website.
NWS Wilmington meteorologists say that as of 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, the storm surge projection had been lowered from 2 to 4 feet to 1 to 3 feet.
You can find information on evacuation zones here.
You can call 211 for information about sheltering options.