It is being called a weather catastrophe only seen once every 1,000 years.
South Carolina continues to deal with flooding and damages after the most intense rainfall ever recorded in history drenched the region, causing nine deaths.
Yesterday, we reported on the flood waters effects on dams in the region, which were beginning to break.
Today, the worst of the storm is over according to officials, but the threat is not completely over for the state, reports WLTX.
Sheriff Randy Garrett of Clarendon County says that the situation is getting “worse by the minute” as rivers continue to rise.
The Lexington, SC Police Department posted footage of a washed out road near Barr Lake yesterday.
Wildlife Road at Barr Lake. #scflood pic.twitter.com/m51e622zx0
— Lexington Police(SC) (@LexingtonPD) October 4, 2015
Police in Columbia are working with emergency crews on “concentrated search and rescue operations.” The Columbia Police Chief William Holbrook issued a statement saying rescue operations are checking for people in Columbia and nearby Richland County still needing to evacuate. He urges anyone in need of rescue to call 911.
Governor Nikki Haley has warned that while the heavy rainfall has ended, the related problems will continue for several days. The flooding has closed down many roads and it will take some time to repair the power and water outages.
South Carolina’s Emergency Management Division remains on Operation Condition One, their highest alert status.
As of Sunday, October 4, the rainfall over two days was nearly 17 inches in areas of Columbia, according to the National Weather Service.
Areas of South Carolina can still expect up to two more inches of rain, as predicted in this forecast map from the National Weather Service.
CBS Evening News has released photos on Twitter of the flooding, showing a horrific scene as coffins float away from flooded cemeteries in South Carolina.
The Lexington, SC Police Department has also been uploading photos of the devastation the flooding has caused to Twitter.
Clean up is underway on E Main St. The decision to reopen or not will be made by @SCDOTMidlands soon. #scflood pic.twitter.com/C7oIBL4QaL
— Lexington Police(SC) (@LexingtonPD) October 5, 2015
Senator Shealy assessing the Old Mill Pond dam breach with Mayor MacDougall and @TownLexingtonSC Administrator Poole. pic.twitter.com/36Vw7Hxv9r
— Lexington Police(SC) (@LexingtonPD) October 5, 2015
A Facebook page, Lost and Found Pets of South Carolina, has jumped on board to help lost pets find homes after the damaging rains and flooding.
The rain is finally tapering off in the region after a nearly 48 hour deluge of rainfall rates in excess of 3 inches per hour at times.
This week, the sun is expected to come out and meteorologists are predicting dry conditions for the foreseeable future. Residents in the hard hit areas of Charleston, Columbia, Sumter, and Florence can anticipate sunny skies over the next week with afternoon high temperatures in the mid to upper 70s.
