Catastrophic Flooding Throughout South Carolina
(Worthy News) – South Carolina is enduring its worst rains “in 1,000 years,” Gov. Nikki Haley said this afternoon, urging residents to stay off the roads as conditions were “changing by the minute,” with roads flooding and rivers at their highest levels in decades.
According to the National Weather Service, one area of downtown Columbia, the South Carolina capital, received nearly 17 inches of rain in 17 hours, and it was still raining.
“We’re in the middle of it,” she said. “We’ve still got easily another 24 hours that you should be extremely careful. We’ve got more rainfall that’s expected.”
South Carolina officials advised residents to not drive any time today or Monday, citing dangers including downed power lines and bacteria in the water. [ Source ]
Heavy rain pounds South, floods historic Charleston, S.C.
Torrential rains that brought flooding to much of the historic peninsula district of Charleston, S.C., on Saturday lashed huge parts of the Southeast, giving the region little consolation from the fading threat of Hurricane Joaquin as it moved to the northeast away from the East Coast.
Police shut down traffic onto the low-lying area of Charleston between the Ashley and Cooper rivers where the historic downtown area is located. Abandoned cars dotted many of the roads as cars stalled out.
Retail stores along King Street, a main shopping area in the port city, lined sand bags along the sidewalk as protection from the threat of rising water. [ Source ]
Flash Flood Emergency: Charleston, S.C. Area Hit by Double Whammy of Historic Rain, Highest Tide Since Hugo
A rare double whammy of storm surge and unprecedented rainfall combined to bring dangerous flash flooding to Charleston, South Carolina, leaving the city and its suburbs under flood warnings for most of Saturday. Saltwater topped the sea walls of Charleston’s famous Battery while more than 11 inches of rain turned city streets into wading pools and flooded homes in several neighborhoods.
The National Weather Service in Charleston issued a flash flood emergency for Charleston and Berkeley counties shortly after midnight early Sunday, shortly after having issued one for neighboring Dorchester County.
Water was seen up to the windows of cars in at least one intersection in downtown Charleston Saturday night. [ Source ]