Joaquin had maximum sustained winds of 130 mph (210 kph) and hurricane strength winds extending 45 miles (75 kilometres) from the eye, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said. The approach of Hurricane Joaquin (wah-KEEN’) – a major Category 4 storm set to wallop the Bahamas and move toward the US – could intensify the damage, but rain is forecast across the region regardless of the storm’s path.
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Flood watches have been issued across almost all of South Carolina as forecasters warn several inches of rain could fall in much of the state through Monday.
In South Carolina, 56-year-old Sylvia Arteaga was driving home after a night shift at Bridgewater Candle Company on Thursday morning when authorities said the floodwaters trapped her underneath a railroad bridge at the edge of Spartanburg.
The Coast Guard said the 735-foot (224-meter) ship named El Faro had taken on water and was listing at 15 degrees near Crooked Island, one of the islands most battered by the hurricane.
Flooding remains a major concern due to rain indirectly linked to Joaquin and its interaction with a lingering cold front that is actively drawing deep, tropical moisture up the East Coast and squeezing it out like a wet rag.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley urged residents Friday to prepare for historic rainfalls over the weekend that will bring extensive flooding and power outages. If people stay and need help later, “we don’t know how long it will take us to get you out of there”.
“Buses were going slow”, Diaz said.
The potential of several inches of rain across South Carolina over the next three days is changing sports schedules across the state.
“The bottom line is: We are expecting very heavy rains all the way from the Carolinas up into New England”, said Bruce Terry, lead forecaster for the government’s Weather Prediction Center.
Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe declared a state of emergency Wednesday afternoon, which allows emergency responders to begin to prepare for the storms.
Taylor said people on Eleuthera also are deeply religious and that their faith would carry them through. Navy officials say this is the most intensive storm preparation effort the base has had since Hurricane Ernesto in 2006. The University of Southern Maine canceled classes at its Portland, Gorham and Lewiston-Auburn campuses.
In North Carolina, Gov. Pat McCrory declared a state of emergency Thursday and said emergency management officials are preparing for expected floods by readying supplies and going over readiness checklists.
The storm was predicted to turn to the north and northwest toward the United States on Friday, but forecasters were trying to determine how it might affect the U.S. East Coast, which was already suffering flooding and heavy rains from separate storms.
He said two vehicles were traveling south near Godwin around 1:30 p.m. Thursday when a tree fell across the road, hitting both vehicles.
“There’s a lot of uncertainty in the forecasts from the National Hurricane Center”. There was no word on the survivor’s condition, and the driver of the second vehicle was not hurt.
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Two storm-related deaths have already occurred in the Carolinas, where heavy rain has fallen for days. But even areas that wind up outside of the hurricane’s path are in for heavy rains.
