Hurricane Joaquin turns away from East Coast

The latest on drenching storms threatening the East Coast.

Before the hurricane draws close to the US, an area of low pressure in the Southeast and a front stalled over the East Coast will pull moisture from the Atlantic Ocean that falls as rain over the next few days, Terry said.

Charleston city and county offices are closed Friday as are area public schools and local universities.

“The major threat to the area is significant flooding and heavy rains throughout the weekend”, according to an announcement this afternoon.

The district will make up the day later in October. Strong onshore winds with this frontal system will create moderate coastal flooding along the shore and beaches.

The East Coast deluge has begun.

Hurricane Joaquin (wa-KEEN) is battering the central Bahamas and moving northward.

Meanwhile, Joaquin strengthened and returned to its prior monster status: a Category 4 hurricane with 130 miles per hour winds.

Preparations include readying emergency crews, fueling portable generators, establishing storm checklists, keeping in contact with governmental agencies and first responders, and initiating a real-time command center for employees to stay in communication throughout the storm’s impact.

“We haven’t had time to recover from last weekend”, said Carin Faulkner, the assistant town manager.

The heaviest rain is expected in wide swaths of North Carolina and Virginia, along with parts of Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey, according to a National Weather Service forecast map.

The Weather Service said that streets were expected to flood and with high tides, the water would be slow in receding from roadways.

In addition to South Carolina, states of emergency were declared in Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Virginia.

Christie says he will consider evacuations if necessary, but that it’s too early to know if that will be needed.

Governors up and down the coast warned residents to prepare for more heavy rains.

Sailors at the world’s largest naval base are filling thousands of sandbags to protect the base’s buildings from flooding.

Steve Stougard of Norfolk, Virginia, called Joaquin’s course “an answered prayer”. She says more are on the way, as emergency officials believe more will be needed.

The installation is in a low-lying area adjacent to the Elizabeth River and Willoughby Bay.

Naval Station Norfolk is home to aircraft carriers, submarines and destroyers, among other ships. “A lot of places are going to have 5, 6, 7 inches of rain, particularly the whole state of South Carolina“. At the same time, they’re making the system now parked there more unsafe.

If traveling, use caution for downed trees and powerlines.

She also fears a repeat of 2005, when Hurricane Rita caused problems in the area. As it approached the warm tropical waters around the Bahamas, it rapidly gained strength, reaching Category 2 status by Wednesday night.

Thursday’s flooding and closures were centered in Spartanburg County, including part of Interstate 95 Business just north of Spartanburg.

Bahamasair has canceled flights for Thursday in parts of the islands. The man managed to cling to a tree and was taken to a hospital for treatment. There was no word on the survivor’s condition, and the driver of the second vehicle was not hurt. The victim’s name hasn’t been released.

A vehicle is stranded on a flooded driveway leading to a shopping…

Lauren Tuorto closed her Holy City Consignment shop on the Charleston peninsula until Tuesday.

The storm was already blamed for at least one death in South Carolina, where heavy rain has fallen for days. A flash flood emergency is also in effect for Dorchester County.

“We will have to wait for the winds to die down before we can go out and really assess the damage”, she said.

(AP Photo/Mike Groll). A worker prepares to tow a stranded vehicle from a flooded road on Wednesday, September 30, 2015, in Guilderland, N.Y. The National Weather Service has issued flood watches for much of the eastern half of upstate New York as a storm…