Rain-Swollen South Carolina Rivers Prompt More Evacuations

Any mandatory evacuations would be ordered by local officials.

The National Weather Service said Friday that a low pressure system will stall near the South Carolina coast this weekend. “We’ll be answering to whatever Richland County asks us to do”, he said.

Karen Hood, 55, said she was still amazed at how fast the water rose. People in four coastal counties were warned Thursday that there may be new evacuations near two rising rivers, the Waccamaw and Edisto.

“We don’t have power and we don’t have water, and we don’t know if we’ll get back and find our home has flooded too”, said Lakeysha Fair, who is staying in a Red Cross shelter with her nine-year-old daughter Shakira. “This is, as the general said, a different kind of bad”, Haley said, referencing the state’s adjutant general, Maj.

“Call us when in doubt and let us answer your questions”, she said.

“We are up against a few challenging situations, but we’re doing our best to make the repairs while still keeping the canal levels up”, said Assistant City Manager, Missy Gentry. Those pipes will allow the city to pull water directly from the river, without relying on the canal that normally feeds the treatment plant.

Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin tweeted his appreciation for citizens like LaMotte who have helped one another.

Haley has consistently maintained this will be “a story of addition”, with more counties expected to be added to that growing list as damage assessors are able to see the results of the flooding firsthand. In contrast to zero dam failures in North Carolina, 14 have been reported in South Carolina.

“We still have to be cautious”, Gov. Nikki Haley told reporters on Tuesday afternoon, as reported by KTLA.com. Officials couldn’t put a number on how many people are affected, but the counties have a combined 600,000 residents. Residents near one Columbia, South Carolina, dam were told to flee Wednesday morning, as it was believed to be near its breaking point, potentially putting thousands in the path of millions of gallons of water.

Copyright © The Associated Press. “People are not out of harm’s way”.

There was no water immediately threatening the homes of the people evacuated on Thursday.

The death toll has risen to 17, she said. The capital city is fighting to keep its water system running while people have to boil tap water before drinking it. After that, everything left behind will be thrown out so crews can clean up and fix the flood damage.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency said at least 16 counties had been declared disaster areas.

More than 250 roads across South Carolina have been closed due to the flooding, including numerous highways. Officials expect to close two of the main state roads out of the historic town in the coming days.

Thirteen miles of Interstate 95 are still closed in Clarendon County. “There was seven feet (213 cm) of water outside and five (152 cm) inside”.

He says officials are still working to determine the damage to livestock and poultry, and that timber harvesting will resume when logging roads are passable.

In Columbia, where about 11 inches (28 cm) of rain fell over the weekend, residents in a neighborhood ravaged by the first wave of flooding donned gloves and masks as they started clearing their homes of ruined possessions.

University officials say only essential personnel should report to its main campus Thursday. All residents were ordered to evacuate the area, asking that they go to A.C. Flora High School.

The city said late Wednesday that it would begin installing pumps that move water directly from the canal and the nearby Broad River to the reservoir that feeds the water plant.

The problem lies with the Columbia Canal.

As floodwaters recede in the Columbia area, residents are coming home to the heartbreaking reality of just how much they have lost. All others must boil water before consuming. “This flooding is going to get bad and it’s going to sit for a very long time”.

Overall, U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham has said there could be a potential billion-dollar cleanup bill.

Meanwhile, there’s still a threat of more flooding, especially downstream as the floodwaters head toward the Atlantic.