South Carolina Flooding Kills 14, Hundreds Homeless

06 Oct, 2015

South Carolina grappled with the damage wrought by record rainfall, as the death toll from widespread flooding rose to 14 on Tuesday and residents braced for more evacuations in areas near swollen waterways and dams across the state.

Floodwaters from unprecedented rainfall closed some 550 roads and bridges and prompted hundreds of rescues of people trapped in homes and cars, officials said on Monday.

Governor Nikki Haley warned residents to remain on alert as rain continued to fall in some of the hardest-hit areas, including the state capital, Columbia, which saw its wettest days on record over the weekend.

“This is not over,” Haley said at news conference. “There’s still a lot of water out there.”

President Barack Obama declared a disaster in South Carolina, making federal funds available to governments and non-profits in 11 counties.

More than 2 feet (60 cm) of rain have fallen in the past three days in parts of South Carolina, and moderate to heavy rain persisted on Monday in the state’s saturated northeastern corner and in southeastern North Carolina, the National Weather Service said. The rain was expected to taper off on Tuesday, it said.

The flooding closed schools and government offices, stranded motorists and led to dramatic rescues, including a mother and her 15-month-old child who were plucked by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter from a flooded home in Huger, South Carolina.

Of the 11 people known to have been killed, seven drowned, the South Carolina Department of Public Safety said.

Four others died in weather-related car crashes, the agency said. A state transportation department employee was killed after his work truck was overturned and swept away by rushing waters, the agency said.

The severe weather was also blamed for two deaths in North Carolina, officials said.

Nearly 1,000 people have found refuge in shelters around South Carolina, officials said, and water distribution centers were being opened after the downpours left an estimated 40,000 people without drinking water. About 26,000 were without power, officials said.

On Monday afternoon, the Richland County Sheriff’s Department sent deputies door to door to warn residents to evacuate after a dam burst east of Columbia.

Haley and meteorologists said more flooding concerns remain as rains in the Midlands and Upstate South Carolina flow downstream to the already-swamped area known as the Lowcountry.

That area includes the peninsula of Charleston, which emergency officials have reopened to allow people in and out though more than 30 streets remained flooded.

Reuters

Image Fox and Friends twitter

Mentioned In This Post: