SOUTH CAROLINA grappled with the damage wrought by record rainfall, as the death toll from widespread flooding rose to 15 on Tuesday and residents braced for more evacuations in areas near dams and swollen waterways across the state.
Predictions of sunny skies in coming days provided only small comfort. More than 800 people were living in shelters after floodwater forced them from their homes, and officials said new evacuations were likely as several rivers remained above flood stage and dams were being monitored for breaches.
"We are still in the mode that the next 36 to 48 hours will be volatile," Governor Nikki Haley told a news conference. "Don't let the sunshine fool you."
Officials said about 300 state-maintained roads and 160 bridges remained closed. Eleven dams in the southeastern state have failed, the state Emergency Management Division said.
Haley said she could not yet estimate the cost of the devastation but noted "the damage is going to be heartbreaking for a lot of people."
More than 2 feet (60 cm) of rain have fallen since Friday in parts of South Carolina. The state avoided a hit from Hurricane Joaquin but experienced historic rainfall and flooding due to a combination of weather mostly unrelated to that storm.
Of the 15 people who died, nine drowned and six were killed in weather-related car crashes, the emergency agency said. The extended rainstorm also was blamed for two deaths in North Carolina.
In the South Carolina capital of Columbia, which experienced its wettest days on record over the weekend, the University of South Carolina canceled classes through Friday.
Though floodwater was receding in some places, officials warned people to remain vigilant. Early on Tuesday, emergency responders in Orangeburg County pulled three people to safety in a boat after they were surrounded by rushing water from the North Edisto River, the State newspaper reported.
The highest recorded amount of rain in South Carolina was 26.8 inches (68 cm), which fell over several days in an area just east of Charleston, National Weather Service meteorologist Carl Barnes said.
"The worst has passed us, in terms of rainfall," he said. "We'll definitely have sun and some very welcome drying out for the rest of the week.
Reuters
Wed Oct 07 2015
David Carroll (R) of Waccamaw Lake Drive pulls a boat carrying neighbors Rick Woodward, Miki Woodward and Matt Desjardins in Conway, South Carolina October 6, 2015. - Reuters/Randall Hill
PADU: Lebih 9 juta telah daftar
Pendaftaran Pangkalan Data Utama (PADU) meningkat kepada 9.24 juta setakat Khamis.
PM adakan lawatan singkat ke Sarawak pada Sabtu
Dalam lawatan singkat ke Sarawak pada Sabtu, Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim antara lain bakal melakukan walkabout di Bazar Ramadan Desa Ilmu disusuli Majlis Iftar Berbuka Puasa Madani di Masjid Al-Muttaqin
UMNO Sabah akan lebih teliti pilih calon - Bung Moktar
Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin tidak mahu calon yang akan diketengahkan UMNO dalam PN Sabah nanti ditolak rakyat sekaligus mendatangkan kerugian buat parti itu.
Tempoh reman 13 remaja suspek kes bunuh pelajar kolej disambung
Hakim Mahkamah Nur Asyraf Zolhani membenarkan tempoh reman disambung tujuh hari bermula Jumaat
Satu lagi kawasan kebakaran hutan dikesan di Miri
Pesawat Bombardier CL-415 Maritim Malaysia digerakkan bagi membantu memadam kebakaran yang dikesan berhampiran Sekolah Kebangsaan Kuala Baram
Dua lelaki mengaku tidak bersalah lakukan rompakan berkumpulan
Dua lelaki yang dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Sesyen di sini hari ini mengaku tidak bersalah atas pertuduhan melakukan rompakan secara berkumpulan, minggu lepas.
Kesabaran rakyat ada batasnya - Bung Moktar
Datuk Seri Bung Moktar Radin menegaskan isu air di Sabah perlu segera diselsesaikan jika tidak ia akan memberi kesan besar kepada rakyat.
AWANI Borneo [29/03/2024] - Kes bunuh pelajar kolej vokasional | Operasi bom air | Ini satu musibah - Bung Moktar
AWANI Borneo bersama Assim Hassan
Tempoh reman 13 remaja suspek kes bunuh pelajar kolej vokasional disambung
Satu lagi kawasan kebakaran hutan dikesan di Miri
Bung Moktar desak kerajaan Sabah segera selesaikan isu air
Tempoh reman 13 remaja suspek kes bunuh pelajar kolej vokasional disambung
Satu lagi kawasan kebakaran hutan dikesan di Miri
Bung Moktar desak kerajaan Sabah segera selesaikan isu air
Projek LRT tidak jejas status George Town sebagai Tapak Warisan UNESCO - Loke
Kerajaan jamin pembangunan projek LRT Laluan Mutiara Pulau Pinang tidak akan menjejaskan status George Town sebagai Tapak Warisan Dunia UNESCO.
Ahli perniagaan didakwa tipu, pecah amanah, salah guna harta syarikat RM13.4 juta
Seorang ahli perniagaan dihadapkan ke Mahkamah Sesyen di sini hari ini atas enam pertuduhan menipu, pecah amanah dan menyalahgunakan harta syarikat, melibatkan kerugian berjumlah RM13.4 juta.