Parts Of I-95 Re-Opened

After rain that South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley called “a storm of historic proportions”, churches in the state have refused to wait the flooding out before bolstering relief, according to Vocativ.

They worked through the weekend to block enough of the canal so the water level will rise high enough to be routed into City of Columbia water system.

The rain lead to additional flooding, prompting road closures that are making it hard for residents of affected areas to move around.

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said he’s hopeful the city can lift the advisory for all customers in the next week or so.

NBC Charlotte reported churches in South Carolina’s neighboring states also made mobilizing aid a priority and that members of the United Methodist Church of Pineville, North Carolina, put together hygiene kits for flood victims.

Classes resumed at the University of South Carolina’s campus in Columbia after flooding in the state capital forced a week-long break. No one has had to be evacuated yet, but the water was isolating a few homes, and the governor warned that emergency officials could start knocking on doors any time. “Things are about to get worse on the coast”.

The problem is with about 18 small bridges over the Black and Pocotaligo rivers and surrounding swampland in Clarendon County, state Transportation Secretary Christy Hall said.

“This is not going to take us years to come out of this. I’ve never been through anything like this”, the 27-year-old volunteer with Operation Blessing said.

Sheriff’s spokesman Lieutenant Curtis Wilson said the two disappeared in waters “after they drove around a barricade”, while the other two were among the three people who reportedly managed to get to safety but were later found dead inside the truck. The guardsman’s wrist and rib were broken, but he was expected to survive.

Debra Prior left her home outside Georgetown with the help of an amphibious vehicle after the roads around her became impassable.

“The residents are physically and mentally exhausted”. People who want to lead one of those teams should call Harvest Hope at 803-254-4433 at ext.

A 13-mile stretch of southbound Interstate 95 in South Carolina reopened Monday as the state continued its slow but steady recovery from devastating floods that paralyzed the Palmetto State.

While the highway was closed, drivers had to take a 170-mile detour through Columbia instead of the normal 75-mile drive on I-95 between Interstate 26 and Interstate 20.

Information for this article was contributed by Susanne M. Schafer, Jack Jones and Bruce Smith of The Associated Press.