Charleston, South Carolina, Soaked by Worst Rains in '1,000 Years'

Charleston, South Carolina, Soaked by Worst Rains in '1,000 Years'

• By DANIEL MANZO
• DAVID CHIU

Oct 4, 2015, 4:19 PM ET

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WATCH

South Carolina Faces Aftermath of Historic Flooding

South Carolina is enduring its worst rains "in 1,000 years," Gov. Nikki Haley said this afternoon, urging residents to stay off the roads as conditions were "changing by the minute," with roads flooding and rivers at their highest levels in decades.

Three weather-related fatalities were reported and the rain isn't over, Haley said.

"We're in the middle of it," she said. "We've still got easily another 24 hours that you should be extremely careful. We've got more rainfall that's expected."

South Carolina officials advised residents to not drive any time today or tomorrow, citing dangers including downed power lines and bacteria in the water.

Southeast Hit by 'Historic' Rainfall

Gusty Wind May Add to Weather Risks on Soggy East Coast

"This is different than a hurricane because it is water, it is slow moving and it is sitting, We can't just move the water out," Haley said.

Some 30,000 customers were without power, and a 75-mile stretch of I-95 was closed as a result of the flooding.

Welcome to Charleston #hurricane #joaquin
A photo posted by Claire Doolittle (@clairedoolittle) on Oct 3, 2015 at 6:20pm PDT

The Coast Guard joined rescue efforts today near Charleston, as rain continued to fall on the area, part of a storm system causing flash flood emergencies and power outages along the East Coast.

The Coast Guard Charleston Sector said it was assisting with land rescues in Berkeley County, near Huger, which is north of Charleston.

The National Weather Service's Charleston South Carolina Forecast Office said that Charleston received 11.5 inches of rain on Saturday, making it the wettest day on record for the city.

Over the next two days, parts of eastern South Carolina and North Carolina could receive 10 more inches of rain.

Other sections of South Carolina experienced incredible amounts of rain. Columbia received over 7 inches Saturday night, while North Myrtle Beach accumulated over 15 inches worth of water in the past few days.

South Carolina's Greenville-Spartanburg Airport got 2.3 inches of rain Saturday, breaking the record of 0.77 inches back in 1961, according to NWS meteorologist John Tomko.

On Sunday, the rain will begin to pivot and slip north and east toward the border of North Carolina and South Carolina and near the coastline. The combination of saturated ground and winds will likely bring down trees, as winds along the coastline will be gusting up to 30 miles per hour.

http://a.abcnews.go.com/images/US/AP...04_4x3_992.jpgChuck Burton/AP Photo
Cars are parked in front of a flooded apartment building in Columbia, S.C., Oct. 4, 2015.A flash flood emergency was issued for Berkeley and Charleston counties, with catastrophic flash flooding expected, according to NWS. A flash flood emergency was also issued for southern portions of Dorchester County, the NWS tweeted, which was characterized as a "life-threatening situation."

Meanwhile, Charleston County Emergency Management reported swift water rescues taking place in Charleston, North Charleston, Ladson, Cainhoy and Awendaw, with evacuations continuing in Shadowmoss.

Mario Formisano, emergency management director for Dorchester County, said that the flooding has been widespread and that there were about 140 rescues Saturday evening into Sunday morning. He added that SUVs and trucks were being used to rescue trapped residents, and that those rescued or evacuated were taken to Summerville High School.

According to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division early Sunday morning, more than 29,000 electric customers were without power throughout the state. It also reported that there are 83 road closures across South Carolina, 46 of them in Charleston County.

#bmw #cars don't go through #charlestonfloods too well. #calhounstreet in #downtown #charleston #southcarolina #lowcountry #charlestonsc
A photo posted by Colin Pearson (@colpear) on Oct 3, 2015 at 7:17pm PDT

In downtown Charleston Saturday, roads were closed to incoming traffic as rain flooded roads and left some drivers stranded as their vehicles were surrounded by water. Meanwhile, inland parts of South Carolina were also hit hard by the rain.

The mid-Atlantic region was also affected by flooded roads and power outages were reported in several states.

Fun times kayaking ok King & Huger #chswx #charlestonsc #kayak #flood #joaquin
A photo posted by Andrew Donnan (@theadonnan) on Oct 3, 2015 at 9:34am PDT

In response to the storm, President Obama declared a state of emergency in South Carolina, which will bring federal assistance to state and local efforts.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/charleston-...ry?id=34233408

Historic storm floods South Carolina; at least 7 dead along East Coast

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Tribune wire reports Contact Reporter
Record storm floods East Coast, kills at least 7


Hundreds were rescued from fast-moving floodwaters Sunday in South Carolina as days of driving rain hit a dangerous crescendo that buckled buildings and roads, closed a major East Coast interstate route and threatened the drinking water supply for the capital city.

The powerful rainstorm dumped more than a foot of rain overnight on Columbia, swamping hundreds of businesses and homes. Emergency workers waded into waist-deep water to help people trapped in cars, dozens of boats fanned out to rescue others in flooded neighborhoods and some were plucked from rooftops by helicopters.

With so much water, officials said it could take weeks or even months to assess every road and bridge that's been closed around the state. Several interstates around Columbia were closed, and so was a 75-mile stretch of Interstate 95 that is a key route connecting Miami to Washington, D.C. and New York.

"This is different than a hurricane because it is water, it is slow moving and it is sitting. We can't just move the water out," Gov. Nikki Haley said at a news conference.

One death was reported in the area on Sunday, bringing weather-related deaths to seven since the storm began days earlier. The system drenching South Carolina was part of an unusual combination of weather conditions involving a slow-crawling low pressure system meteorologists called unusually deep for this time of year.

People were told to stay off roads and remain indoors until floodwaters recede, and an overnight curfew was issued for Columbia and across two surrounding counties. The capital city told all 375,000 of its water customers to boil water before drinking because of water line breaks and the threat of rising water to a treatment plant. Emergency officials said later Sunday that many in Columbia were without potable water because of water main breaks and customers may have to go without drinking water for three or four days. Meanwhile, nearly 30,000 customers were without power at one point.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-561008a2/t...03/300/300x169
As Hurricane Joaquin bears down, Coast Guard locates life ring from missing ship

Local officials counted several hundred water rescues by mid-morning before Columbia Fire Chief Aubry Jenkins said in an interview that there were too many rescues to keep count.

"We're just trying to get to everyone," Jenkins said. "But there are places we just haven't gotten to."

One of the hardest hit areas in Columbia was near Gills Creek, where a weather station recorded more than 18 inches of rain — or more than a third of the city's average yearly rainfall — nearly all of it in 24 hours. The creek was 10 feet above flood stage, spilling floodwaters that almost reached the stoplights at a four-lane intersection.

State forecasters said another 2-6 inches could fall around the state, and it could be Tuesday before skies are sunny.

Vladimir Gorrin said he led his 57-year-old aunt through floodwaters about 7 feet deep surrounding her apartment near Gills Creek. He said his aunt, Wanda Laboy, waited several hours after calling 911, so family came to help.

http://www.trbimg.com/img-560d50b3/t...01/300/300x169
Rain drenches eastern U.S.; Hurricane Joaquin wallops Bahamas

"She's very distressed right now," said Gorrin, 38. "She lost everything."

His aunt, who didn't appear to be injured, was heading with her nephew to his house in an unflooded area of Columbia, he said.

"I'm trying to find my way back home, and every road that we've taken is blocked or flooded," he said in a phone interview.

Emergency shelters were being opened around the state for displaced residents, and President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in South Carolina.

Along the coast, rainfall had exceeded two feet since Friday in some areas around Charleston, though conditions had improved enough that residents and business owners were allowed downtown on a limited basis.

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said he's never seen flooding as bad in his 40 years as mayor.

"This was a record storm," he said. "You know the amount of rainfall that we have experienced is unprecedented. I feel very fortunate that we were able to get through this as well as we have."

At least seven weather-related deaths have been reported since rains began spreading over the Eastern Seaboard, which appeared to dodge the full brunt of Hurricane Joaquin as it veered out to sea.

The latest death reported was a woman killed when her SUV was swept into flood waters in Columbia. Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said the woman's body was found Sunday afternoon, about 12 hours after she disappeared in flood waters near downtown Columbia.

Three people died in separate weather-related traffic accidents in South Carolina on Friday and Saturday, the Highway Patrol said. In North Carolina, a driver died on a rain-slickened road on Saturday, according to that state's Highway Patrol. On Thursday, a woman drowned in her car in Spartanburg, South Carolina, while a passenger in a vehicle in North Carolina was killed when a tree fell on a highway.

In Florence, about 80 miles east of Columbia, Mary Gainey was told Sunday about an evacuation order for her neighborhood along a rising creek. "I've been rushing around, making sure I have everything I need," said the 65-year-old Gainey.

She's going to stay at her daughter's house until the water recedes.

"This is the first time we've had to be evacuated," she said. "It's strange leaving everything behind."

Officials were imposing a 12-hour curfew across Richland and Lexington counties.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott called it a common-sense curfew. Anyone not facing an emergency situation needs to stay off the roads between 6 p.m. Sunday and 6 a.m. Monday.

He says law enforcement officers "will stop you and make you go home or somewhere else." He stresses that "this is not a time for anybody to be a spectator."

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin says anyone who doesn't take the flooding seriously risks not only their lives, but the lives of first responders. He says flooding levels are difficult enough to judge in the daytime.

Other cities across the Midlands have also issued curfews. Sumter has announced a curfew of 7 p.m. Sunday to 7 p.m. Monday.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/n...004-story.html

Eight dead as South Carolina hit by 'once in a millennium' floods

• Governor Nikki Haley calls on people to stay inside their homes

• Eight weather-related deaths reported in Carolinas as scores rescued

South Carolina was hit by heavy flooding over the weekend, amid unrelenting rain.Martin Pengelly in New York and agencies

@MartinPengelly

Sunday 4 October 2015 21.15 EDTLast modified on Sunday 4 October 201521.25 EDT

A “once-in-a-millennium” downpour has flooded large parts of South Carolina, causing at least seven deaths.

The storm had dumped more than 18 inches (45 cm) of rain in parts of central South Carolina by early Sunday. The state climatologist forecast another 2 to 6 inches (5 to 15 cm) through Monday as the rainfall began to slacken.

South Carolina hit with major flooding amid unrelenting Joaquin-fueled rains

The state’s governor, Nikki Haley, said parts of the state were hit with rainfall that would be expected to occur once in 1,000 years, with the Congaree river running at its highest level since 1936.

The swollen Congaree river flows under the Gervais Street bridge in West Columbia. Photograph: Chuck Burton/AP“This is the worst flooding in the low country [the region around the South Carolina coast] for a thousand years, that’s how big this is,” Haley told a news conference. “That’s what South Carolina is dealing with right now.

“Our goal is all hands on deck. If you are in your house, stay in your house,” Haley told a news conference. “This is not something to be out taking pictures of.”

Six weather-related deaths were reported in South Carolina, three of them from traffic accidents. Officials reported another two deaths in North Carolina.

Homes inundated by flood waters in Columbia, South Carolina.

Photograph: Sean Rayford/Getty ImagesThough hurricane Joaquin did not hit the Carolinas and the rest of the southern US east coast as expected, instead passing out to sea over the Atlantic afterbattering the Bahamas, thousands in the state were still left without power by the rain.

Officials in the state capital, Columbia, said 100 people had been rescued by mid-morning Sunday from vehicles after trying to cross flooded roads. Police said another 200 rescue calls were pending and state officials reported a total of 200 swift-water rescues around South Carolina.

Haley said all interstate highways in and around Columbia would be closed, as 600 national guardsmen were deployed to help with rescues and evacuations.

A vehicle drives through floodwaters in Ocean Isle Beach, north Carolina, on Sunday. Photograph: Mike Spencer/APOn Saturday, president Barack Obama declared a state of emergency for South Carolina, freeing up federal funds to be used to tackle the floods.
On Sunday the state’s the emergency management spokesman, Eric Rousey, told CNN South Carolina was dealing with “a historic flood the likes of which we haven’t seen”.

High winds toppled a tree that hit a vehicle and killed a passenger on Thursday near Fayetteville in North Carolina. Three people died in weather-related traffic accidents in South Carolina on Friday and Saturday, the state highway patrol said, and a drowning in Spartanburg, South Carolina, was also linked to the storm.

South Carolina governor Nikki Haley. Photograph: Sean Rayford/Getty ImagesOn Sunday most rescue efforts were centered on Dorchester and Charleston. The city of Georgetown was also heavily affected.

Amidst record rainfall across the state, Charleston mayor Joe Riley told the Associated Press it appeared the torrential rain has passed but moderate rain could continue for 24 hours, and said he had never seen such flooding in his 40 years as mayor.

The rainfall in Charleston on Saturday was measured at 11.5in, a record.

“This was a record storm,” Riley said. “I feel very fortunate that we were able to get through this as well as we have.”

A car is flooded in Georgetown, South Carolina, on Sunday. Photograph: Mic Smith/APHaley’s reference to the flooding being the “worst in a thousand years” did not mean that South Carolina, which became a colony in 1663 and a state in 1788, had not seen such flooding since 1015 AD.

The reference was to the expectation among forecasters that in any given 1,000 years, such flooding could reasonably be expected to occur only once.

http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2...-thousand-year

It's just terrible. Horrible. Our poor citizens in South Carolina. My heart breaks for them and for those who perished. Just awful.

Mon Oct 5, 2015 1:09pm EDT

Nine dead as South Carolina grapples with historic rains

WEST COLUMBIA, S.C. | BY GREG LACOUR

http://s3.reutersmedia.net/resources...=LYNXNPEB940TO
Water covers a flooded section of US 17 South in Murrells Inlet, South Carolina October 5, 2015.
REUTERS/RANDALL HILL

Floodwaters inundating South Carolina after unprecedented rainfall have resulted in nine deaths, more than 500 road and bridge closures and hundreds of rescues of people trapped in their homes by the rising water, 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 of Columbia, which saw its wettest days on record over the weekend.

"If you’re in your house, continue to stay in your house," the governor said at a midday news conference. "This is not the time to take pictures."

More than 2 feet of rain have fallen in the past three days in some areas of South Carolina, and moderate to heavy rain persisted on Monday in the already saturated northeastern corner of that state and southeastern North Carolina, the National Weather Service said.

The weather service continued to receive calls from South Carolina residents saying water was coming into the their neighborhoods, according to forecaster Dave Loewenthal.

"It's still a pretty desperate situation," he said. "We are going to have river flooding for weeks, if not months."

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.

In Columbia, police and fire officials said they were going door to door looking for anyone who might still be trapped in houses and to test the stability of buildings damaged by the deluge.

Columbia resident Tommy Rollins, 67, said he went to bed Saturday night after watching a football game and woke up at 4 a.m. Sunday to the sound of rushing water.

"It sounded like someone was taking a shower in every room," he said. "Within 10 minutes, water was bubbling up through the hardwood floors. We had about 30 minutes and then it was 4 feet deep."

He and his wife grabbed a change of clothes and some toiletries and stepped off their porch into chest-deep rushing water before being brought to safety in a neighbor's boat, Rollins said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2015/...0RZ1UD20151005

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President Declares Disaster for South Carolina

Release date:
October 5, 2015

Release Number:
HQ-15-070

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency announced that federal disaster aid has been made available to the State of South Carolina to supplement state, local and tribal recovery efforts in the area affected by severe storms and flooding on October 1, 2015 and continuing.

The President's action makes federal funding available to affected individuals in Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown, Horry, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland, and Williamsburg counties.

Assistance can include grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans to cover uninsured property losses, and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover from the effects of the disaster.

Federal funding also is available to state and eligible local and tribal governments and certain private nonprofit organizations on a cost-sharing basis for emergency work as a result of the severe storms and flooding in Berkeley, Charleston, Clarendon, Dorchester, Georgetown, Horry, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland, Sumter, and Williamsburg counties.

Federal funding is available on a cost-sharing basis for hazard mitigation measures statewide.

W. Michael Moore has been named as the Federal Coordinating Officer for federal recovery operations in the affected area. Moore said that damage surveys are continuing in other areas, and additional counties may be designated for assistance after the assessments are fully completed.

Individuals and business owners who sustained losses in the designated area can begin applying for assistance tomorrow by registering online at www.DisasterAssistance.gov or by calling 1-800-621-FEMA (3362) or by web enabled mobile device at m.fema.gov. Disaster assistance applicants, who have a speech disability or hearing loss and use TTY, should call 1-800-462-7585 directly; for those who use 711 or Video Relay Service (VRS), call 1-800-621-3362. The toll-free telephone numbers will operate from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. (local time) seven days a week until further notice.

Follow FEMA online at www.fema.gov/blog, www.twitter.com/fema, www.facebook.com/fema, andwww.youtube.com/fema. Also, follow Administrator Craig Fugate's activities atwww.twitter.com/craigatfema.

The social media links provided are for reference only. FEMA does not endorse any non-government websites, companies or applications.

FEMA's mission is to support our citizens and first responders to ensure that as a nation we work together to build, sustain, and improve our capability to prepare for, protect against, respond to, recover from, and mitigate all hazards.

Related Content:
Federal Aid Programs for the State of South Carolina

Last Updated:
October 5, 2015 - 20:29

State/Tribal Government or Region:
South Carolina

Related Disaster:
South Carolina Severe Storms and Flooding

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http://www.fema.gov/news-release/201...south-carolina