Columbia’s water system will get processed water from Cayce, West Columbia

So far, at least 17 people have died in weather-related incidents: 15 in South Carolina and two in North Carolina. Almost two dozen caskets were disinterred by floodwaters in cemeteries, the state said.

But she wouldn’t get into where the money will come from. “As we rebuild post-flood, something we need to acknowledge is that although this is the kind of thing that never, ever happens here – a true “perfect storm” of rare weather conditions – South Carolina is also built up, at this writing, into a place unlike what lay here before”, she wrote.

In South Carolina alone, at least 14 dams have failed since the weekend after parts of the state received more than 2 feet (60 cm) of rain.

The rain diminished late Monday “after dumping more than 20 inches of rain in three days in the central part of the state, according to the National Weather Service”.

John Shelton of the U.S. Geological Survey says flooding can be a concern for any urban area, with an abundance of concrete covering soil that would otherwise act as a sponge for excessive rains.

Contributing to this report were Associated Press writers Jay Reeves, Jeffery Collins, Jack Jones and Susanne M. Schafer in Columbia, South Carolina; and Bruce Smith in Conway. Gov. Nikki Haley held a press conference telling Georgetown residents to prepare for floodwaters. More than 250 roads remain closed across the state, and while waters are receding in the interior, rivers are still rising near the coast. All will have to be checked for structural integrity, which could take weeks or longer.

“The water in the Columbia area has pretty much receded down to manageable levels”, Henderson said.

“This is not over. We’re still dealing with this week”, said Gov. Haley.

Officials hoped to have the makeshift dam completed by Wednesday, Columbia Utilities Director Joey Jaco said. A Sheriff’s Department spokesman said nine people have now been killed in Richland County, all of them in vehicles.

Off of Browns Ferry Road, water continued to rise over night and throughout Thursday leaving many people stranded in their homes or unable to get back to their homes if they leave.

What she heard was off on the time but was otherwise correct. Bottled water and portable restrooms were delivered to the students Monday morning.

She said the two main water treatment plants are both working above their normal operating levels.

The deluge made for otherworldly scenes in Columbia as floodwaters almost touched the stoplights Sunday at one downtown intersection. And tonight, a auto swallowed by a calving road.

The flooding forced hundreds of weekend rescues and threatened the drinking water supply for Columbia, with officials warning a few could be without potable water for days because of water main breaks.

Workers have fanned out across the state looking at bridges, but right now it is mostly just informal inspections to see if it is obvious that a bridge or road should be shut down.

Classes have been called off all week at the school’s flagship campus that’s attended by more than 30,000 students as Columbia and its surrounding areas assess damage from record-setting rainfall and the flooding that has followed. State climatologists have said the sun could peek out Tuesday. Teams searched the area in rescue boats and dive gear.

In Georgetown, one of America’s oldest cities, Scott Youngblood was putting more sandbags Tuesday by the door of the Augustus & Carolina furniture store on Front Street, the popular tourist attraction that runs along the Sampit River.

But the multitude of waterways in Columbia also makes the city a prime target for flooding, as rainwater seeking to flow into a creek or river gets waylaid on the city’s roadways.