Flooding Persists in South Carolina

GEORGETOWN, S.C. As state and local officials warned on Friday of the possibility of more flooding in eastern South Carolina, Georgetown County resident Wilma Green said she would heed their advice to evacuate.

Having spent more than half my life living in South Carolina, I stared in disbelief at the video and images of submerged cars and homes, washed out streets, and rescues by boat that were broadcast on TV, the internet, and social media over the weekend.

As the floodwaters recede, the devastation was clear, CBS News’ David Begnaud reports from Columbia.

In Sommerton, S.C., Mayor Mac Bagnal said he’s trying to find somewhere for stranded evacuees to go who may not have friends or relatives nearby to take them in. The flood destroyed most of their possessions.

The three survivors were flown back to Kentucky to be reunited with their families and receive grief counseling. They called 911, but two hours later passed without help. Moisture is trapped in his peanuts, creating mold and other toxins that make them unfit for humans and animals to eat.

A resident looks down Mayfield St.as the Ashley river floodwaters rise in the Ashborough subdivision near Summerville, S.C., Tuesday, October 6, 2015. A few are being evacuated from rural areas while others in Georgetown, near the confluence of a series of rivers, are again putting out sandbags as they did last weekend.

At least 17 people have died in South Carolina since more than two feet of rain drenched portions of the state in a storm that has been described as a once-in-1,000-year event.

Gov. Haley has come under fire for a lack of preparedness in what she has called a “thousand year storm”.

Haley planned to travel to the four counties Thursday afternoon. The Black River crested 10 feet above flood stage on Tuesday at Kingstree, breaking a town record.

But the worst may be over even along the coast. “We had so much rain, but the primary thing we were experiencing was the water table coming up through the bottom bubbling up from beneath the flooring. We often lose sight of the fact that this type of damage can sometimes be just as costly as property damage”.

Just touching flooded water can lead to health problems, too, due to the presence of oil, chemicals and even sewage. The heaviest rain is expected Saturday, although forecasters said it shouldn’t be enough to flood any additional areas.

“What we need to you know is this is something we have never dealt with before”, she said.

“Richland (County) officials urge residents around Beaver Dam and Pebble Creek Rds IMMEDIATELY seek shelter & move to higher ground”, the state emergency management division tweeted.

A 13-mile section of Interstate 95, which cuts through the eastern part of the state, remained closed.

Emergency responders in Richland County, a hard-hit area in the central part of the state, recovered the bodies of two people missing after a truck driven around road barriers was caught in floodwater, said Lieutenant Curtis Wilson. Cox was removing food from the refrigerator at his home.

Jaco said the only danger now is for the canal – built in the early 1800s and supplying 35 million gallons of water to the city’s water plant each day – to breach in a second spot, but he added that the levy shows no signs of buckling. And when they do use it, they have to boil it at least one minute.

She said the disaster “could be any amount of dollars”. “Were pretty much an island right now”, Ward said of his small city.

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Haley suggested instead of donating bottled water or clothes, anyone who wants to help put on an old outfit and gloves and find somewhere to start helping with the recovery.

As practically a native of the Palmetto State, I have lived in or visited numerous areas hardest hit by the flooding.