South Carolina floods: Death toll rises to 10 in unrelenting storm
The death toll rose to 10, and millions of South Carolinians remained homebound Monday as state emergency officials grappled with catastrophic flooding following days of historic rains. Authorities also reported two storm-related deaths in North Carolina.
The rain was finally ending late Monday, and sunshine was forecast for Tuesday. But South Carolina remained bloated with floodwaters leaving devastation in their wake. President Obama declared a major disaster for the state and ordered federal aid to supplement state, tribal, and local recovery efforts.
"We are stronger today than we were yesterday," Gov. Nikki Haley said at a news conference Monday, adding, "This is not over. Just because the rain stops does not mean that we are out of the woods."
Haley said 550 roads and bridges were closed Monday. About 40,000 residences were without water, but many thousands more were dealing with a boil order. About 26,000 had no power, she said.
In Forest Acres, S.C., northeast of Columbia, police on Monday afternoon said the Overcreek Bridge dam had been breached, The State reported.
Lt. Curtis Wilson of the Richland County Sheriff’s Department said police were conducting mandatory evacuations downstream from the dam.
"My whole district is basically under water right now," state Sen. Joel Lourie told The Greenville News minutes after the dam broke. He called the flooding "a catastrophe of incredible proportion at this point."
S.C. flood is 6th 1,000-year rain since 2010
Hundreds of rescues statewide included a mother and her 15-month-old daughter, plucked from the roof of their flooded home Sunday by a Coast Guard helicopter in Huger, about 25 miles north of Charleston. The duo was evacuated to safety.
Alex Holmes, 24, was among the fatalities. Her sister, Amanda Holmes Mitchell, told USA TODAY her sister's SUV was swept away by floodwaters Sunday. She called a friend that morning to say she was stuck in the car with a dead battery, unable to open the window. Rescuers said the car filled with water and Holmes drowned.
"She was a beautiful person," her sister said. "You couldn't help but love her. She was a great daughter, a great aunt, a great sister."
In Columbia, Mayor Steve Benjamin said thousand of homes were without running water, and that a boil alert remained in effect for thousands more.
"I believe things will get worse before they get better," a somber Benjamin said Monday. "Eventually the floods will abate, but ... I anticipate that damage will be in the billions of dollars. Some people's lives will never be the same."
Steve Bowen, a meteorologist with the global insurance firm Aon Benfield, said economic losses to the state should "easily surpass $1 billion given the enormity of the damage."
"The cost to infrastructure alone could be that much," Bowen said in an e-mail to USA TODAY. "Much of the damage will not be covered by insurance since only a small percentage of homeowners in South Carolina are current National Flood Insurance Program policyholders."
Gov. Haley has said this type of rain event can be expected once in 1,000 years.
The National Weather Service said rainfall totaling 6.87 inches Sunday in Columbia made it the city's all-time wettest day on record. The two-day weekend rainfall total of 10.44 inches also set a record. The Charleston area set records as well; one suburb (near Mount Pleasant) had seen more than 2 feet of rain since Thursday.
Haley said 1,300 National Guard personnel were on the ground Monday, and thousands more were on alert. She said President Obama, who previously had issued a state of emergency to provide federal assistance, called her Monday and was "extremely gracious and kind" and offered additional help.
Much of the East has been saturated by rains that have lingered since Thursday. Coastal areas of North Carolina and Virginia saw flooding, and flood warnings and watches were in effect along much of the East Coast. But the hovering storm saved its worst abuse for South Carolina.
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"If you're safe where you are, stay there," the state Emergency Management Division tweeted Monday. "Flooding expected to continue in more than half the state."
Obama's disaster declaration on Monday makes federal recovery funds available to individuals in eight counties, with local government and nonprofit organizations eligible for funding in 11 counties.
The storm was the worst weather disaster for the state since Hurricane Hugo ripped through as a Category 4 storm in 1989, killing 27 people in the state. Greg Lewis, spokesman for the National Weather Service in Columbia, said the low pressure system that stalled over the state for five days was finally moving out over the Atlantic late Monday.
"The rest of the week looks pretty good," Lewis told USA TODAY. "The flooding should wind down, The focus will be on the cleanup."
Contributing: Doyle Rice, Greg Toppo
