S.C. sees record rainfall in slow-motion disaster
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Historic rainfall levels were recorded in Charleston as the East Coast gets inundated in what has been called a slow-motion rain disaster as stormy weather settles in over the heavily populated region.
Power has been cut to thousands because of the storms, forcing hundreds of water rescues and closing scores of roads because of floodwaters.
Emergency management officials sent a statewide alert telling people to stay off roads and remain indoors unless their homes were in danger of flooding. Interstate highways were closed by flooding - including a 75-mile stretch of I-95 in the eastern part of the state that is a key route connecting Miami to Washington, D.C. and New York.
Local officials said 100 people had been rescued by mid-morning from vehicles after trying to cross flooded roads, while state officials reported a total of 200 swift-water rescues around the state. Columbia police said another 200 rescue calls were pending as of midmorning.
One of the hardest hit areas in Columbia was near Gills Creek, where a weather station recorded more than 18 inches of rain, nearly all of it in 24 hours. The creek was 10 feet above flood stage, spilling floodwaters that almost reached the stoplights at a four-lane intersection.
The National Weather Service reported 13 inches of rain, the greatest three-day rainfall total on record, have been recorded at the service's monitoring station at the Charleston International Airport, according to CBS affiliate WCSC in Charleston. The recorded daily rainfall total for Saturday was 11.5 inches of rain, setting a new one-day precipitation record for the airport.
The steady downpour drew its moisture from a slow-moving low-pressure system over the Southeast that has linked up to a finger of tropical moisture from Hurricane Joaquin. Heavy rain was expected to continue overnight in the Carolinas and parts of northern Georgia and could cause some significant river and stream flooding, the National Weather Service said.
While spared the full fury of Hurricane Joaquin, parts of the East Coast have been inundated with rain the last two days.
President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in South Carolina and ordered federal aid to help state and local efforts.
Three people died in three separate weather-related traffic incidents in South Carolina since the heavy rains began, the state's highway patrol said, including two motorists who lost control of their cars and a pedestrian hit by a car.
Once the rain ends, the flood threat persists because the ground is too saturated to absorb water, meteorologists say. And high winds could topple trees like the one that hit a vehicle near Fayetteville, North Carolina, killing a passenger. The storm also has been linked to a drowning in Spartanburg, South Carolina.
Downtown Charleston was closed off to incoming traffic Saturday as rain flooded roads and left some motorists stranded as flood waters engulfed their cars, including a white BMW with water to the engine. At least two bridges were washed out in other parts of the state
"Where we normally are dealing with flooding for a few hours, we're dealing with it in days here," Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen told The Associated Press. "We're seeing areas flood today that did not traditionally flood."
In North Carolina, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler says farmers are starting to see the impact of the continuous rain on their crops. Apples in Henderson County are starting to split open because they're waterlogged and farmers can't get into the fields to harvest other crops.
"I had one farmer tell me this is like getting all of your cash assets, put them on a clothesline, waiting for the wind to blow them away," he said.
Flooded roads were closed throughout the mid-Atlantic region and power companies reported scattered outages in several states.
In New Jersey, storms dislodged an entire house from its pilings in a low-lying area of Middle Township in southern Jersey. No one was in the residence. Flood watches and warnings also are in effect in Delaware and parts of New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.
The weather service issued a warning for residents living along the coast to be alert for rising water. A combination of high water and high waves could cause beach erosion and damage docks and piers.
In Ocean City, Maryland, spokeswoman Jessica Waters said moderate high tide flooding Saturday forced street closures in low-lying areas but caused no major damages or injuries.
Meanwhile, the Atlantic Seaboard was spared what could have been much worse damage had Joaquin not continued on a path well off the U.S. coast. And some people found ways to enjoy the wet weather, cavorting in kayaks and canoes in some flooded areas.
Steven Capito spent the day surfing by the Ocean View Fishing Pier in Norfolk, Virginia, where two- to three-foot waves crashed ashore. Ordinarily, he said waves from the Chesapeake Bay would barely lap his ankles.
"It's kind of a fun novelty to be out here in the bay," said Capito, who lives in Virginia Beach. "You only get to do it a couple of times a year and it's nice and warm."