Flooding in South Carolina
Search and rescue operations continue in South Carolina after a weekend of major flooding
OCTOBER 05, 2015
By Stephanie Kraus with AP reporting
SEAN RAYFORD—GETTY IMAGES
A man kayaks on Tall Pines Circle, in Columbia, South Carolina, on October 4.
Heavy rain continues to slam South Carolina after a powerful storm flooded much of the
state over the weekend. Emergency workers are going door-to-door to search for
anyone who may still be trapped in their homes. At least seven deaths have been
blamed on the storm so far.
The storm dumped more than 20 inches of rain on one area of Columbia, South
Carolina’s capital. On Sunday, floodwaters nearly touched the stoplights at a downtown
intersection. Rainwater poured like a waterfall over jagged concrete where a road split
apart. Many cars ended up completely under water on flooded streets. Even weather
experts said they were surprised by the amount of rain that the storm dumped on the
state.
"The flooding is unprecedented and historical," said Dr. Marshall Shepherd, a
meteorologist at the University of Georgia, in an email to The Associated Press.
On Sunday, Governor Nikki Haley said the storm is the kind seen only once in a
thousand years. President Barack Obama has declared a state of emergency for South
Carolina, meaning that state and local authorities can receive federal money to help
deal with the flooding.
Hurricane Effects
Earlier in the week, weather experts had predicted Hurricane Joaquin to slam the East
Coast, but the hurricane turned away in the Atlantic Ocean. Despite the shift, Shepherd
says tropical moisture from the hurricane helped boost the power of the rainstorm in the
Carolinas and several neighboring states.
According to the National Weather Service, Sunday was the wettest day in the history of
Columbia. The rainfall total at the Columbia Metropolitan Airport was 6.87 inches, the
highest one-day level ever recorded there.
The flooding caused water main breaks that have threatened the drinking water supply
for South Carolina’s capital city. Columbia officials told all 375,000 of its water
customers to boil water before drinking it. They are also warning that some residents
could be without drinkable water for days.
Many roads and bridges across the state were washed out or under water. Nearly 75
miles of Interstate 95—the main link from the Southeast U.S. to the Northeast—were
closed. People were told to stay off roads and remain indoors until floodwaters recede.
It will take "weeks or months” to check all of the roads and bridges to make sure they
are safe to use, according to State Adjutant General Bob Livingston Jr.
Several schools and colleges canceled classes Monday and some businesses planned
to stay closed. About 30,000 customers were without electricity at one point.
Helping Others
One of the hardest hit areas in Columbia was near Gills Creek, where a weather station
recorded more than 20 inches of rain over the weekend. Rescue crews used boats to
save the family of Jeff Whalen, whose house backs up on the creek.
SEAN RAYFORD—GETTY IMAGES
Charlene Stennis is taken to safety after her son was rescued from a stranded car on a
flooded roadway on October 4.
"A neighbor called to tell us we should get out as soon as we can," Whalen said. "About
that point it was about a foot below the door and when we left it was a foot in the house.
It came quickly obviously."
Crews are putting a fluorescent orange X on the front doors of homes that have already
been searched. Columbia Police Chief William Holbrook urged anyone still needing help
to call 911, saying they would be taken out on military vehicles and bused to shelters.
Columbia residents have also been helping one another. Rawlings LaMotte, 38, said he
and a friend got into a small motorboat and transported several people to safety.
"Until you've experienced something like this, you have no idea how bad it really is,"
LaMotte said.