At least 9 people dead in South Carolina’s historic rain

Rainfall records were shattered in many areas, and six deaths have been attributed to the inclement weather.

The last time there was that much rain in one spot on a single day was September 16, 1999, when 18.3 inches fell on Southport, North Carolina, during Hurricane Floyd.

“If you’re in your house, continue to stay in your house”, she said in a press conference on Monday.

Lines were long outside water distribution centers as residents tried to get clean drinking water before curfew restrictions set in Monday night. She says at least nine people have died in the state.

Henry Hickman, a firefighter from Myrtle Beach, said his most risky mission Sunday was plucking a man from a tree in moving water in Sumter County.

“It sounded like someone was taking a shower in every room”, he said.

An onslaught of rain battering South Carolina this weekend is shocking both longtime residents and officials who’ve never witnessed such a powerful storm in the region.

At least 10 counties or municipalities have declared States of Emergency.

Rains flooded highways along the South Carolina coast between Charleston and Georgetown, the weather service said. University officials say bottled water was delivered Monday to several on-campus buildings, and students in campus housing were being encouraged to use stoves and microwaves and common areas to boil water themselves.

By morning, though, the rain had stopped in Charleston.

This dry weather will last through the end of the week, allowing flood waters and river levels to begin to recede and helping people that are cleaning up the devastation that the flooding left behind. Though five people have reportedly been confirmed dead, the actual number of casualties can only be estimated once the rainfall subsides, which might not happen any time soon, according to South Carolina Emergency Management.

“What I got on my body is what we have”, she told CNN affiliate WIS-TV. After trying alternates, he gave up and checked into the hotel about an hour before it filled up.

Haley had earlier told the Today Show that the state was “hanging in there”, despite the unprecedented rains. “Our heroes are our first responders”, Haley said, adding that President Barack Obama had called her and expressed concern for the state while offering any help she needed to fix things quickly. Two have died in North Carolina. Over 1,000 law enforcement personnel and 1,000 transportation department workers are working. Utility crews, meanwhile, were working to restore power to 30,000 customers, she said.

Governor Haley is urging residents to stay off the roads as much as possible, even if roads are clear because of instability.

“Just because the rain stops does not mean that we are out of the woods”, Haley said. “This is not something that you want your kids playing in”.

Haley warned that the situation will not be convenient, regardless of if the rain has stopped.

Columbia’s police department announced that authorities will commence concentrated search and rescue operations Monday morning. But forecasters said the potential damage there could still rival that in the Bahamas.

Since Friday, more than 20 inches of rain has fallen in a few parts of Columbia.

A half-dozen fire trucks and pumps from cities in South Carolina have moved hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to a hospital in downtown Columbia. That’s down from 33,000 at the height of outages in the state. In addition, 70 miles of Interstate 95 are closed to traffic.

In Pamlico’s Hobucken community, troops rescued three adults from a flooded home.

Flood waters rise around a title loan store on Garners Ferry Road. An autopsy is scheduled Monday.

Freddy Podris, who lives in the northeastern suburb Mount Pleasant, said downtown Charleston had water spilling over the 15-foot sea wall at the Battery – the landmark near “all the iconic Charleston homes”. The plant itself was not impacted by flood waters, but it was not running because of widespread road and school closures.

“Most of them were on their porches, so we had the ability to swing the rescuers up and right onto the porch”, said Will Sirmon of the South Carolina Army National Guard. Mueller and her daughter were taken to Mt. Pleasant Regional Airport.

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said Monday he expects the damage to his city to range into the billions of dollars.