The Los Angeles Times reports that the overflow of Gills Creek watershed, a 70-mile-waterway system that runs through Columbia, among other cities, wreaked much of the havoc in the area. “The long and short of it is, my friends and I, people on the block, we’re all safe and I’m happy the house is salvageable”.
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Haley again pleaded with motorists not to ignore the barricades. “You put your heart and soul into the ground, then something devastating happens like this and you are done”, Wimberly said.
“This is a very sad, sad, sad event”, Rush said. “The next 36 to 48 hours are going to be a time that we need to continue to be careful”. Three other counties were added earlier Wednesday.
John Shelton of the U.S. Geological Survey says flooding can be a concern for any urban area, with an abundance of concrete covering soil that would otherwise act as a sponge for excessive rains.
“Overnight, we had a break-in, so whatever was upstairs they came and took: TVs, jewelry, everything”, said Columbia resident Pamela Courts regarding the theft of her apartment, in an interview from local station WACH. As the coffins are discovered, they are being moved to county facilities where they will be held until further arrangements can be made. Flooding expected to continue in more than half the state.
Waters rose on rivers downstream from the Midlands, putting communities from Conway to Williamsburg on alert.
In addition to the problems at the canal, at least 15 water line leaks have been confirmed, with at least that many more yet to be verified, he said on Tuesday. One dam was breached intentionally to alleviate pressure.
A dam in Richmond County was allowed to be breached.
Fourteen dams have been breached by the rushing floodwaters, and 62 at-risk dams are still being monitored. Over 2,000 of those calls were for collisions.
“We have done an outstanding job”, said Catherine Heigel, director of the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control, which regulates private dams. “It’s incredible we have not had more issues than we had”, she told reporters. Officials hope to make those available to the public on Friday.
Official crews are working around the clock to restore power, help people find shelter and bring them potable water.
About 5,000 households were without water Wednesday, down from more than 40,000 the day before.
Back in Columbia, city officials urged residents to conserve water.
Those plans include pumping water from the canal to the reservoir that feeds the water plant.
By mid-afternoon Wednesday, the temporary dam spanned about two-thirds of the roughly 125-foot width of the canal. The storm caused a canal that serves as the area’s main source of drinking water for about half of the Columbia water system’s 375,000 customers has collapsed in two places. Lexington County is providing extra trash containers to dispose of storm debris.
Several South Carolina counties will receive federal disaster aid, shared the article.
A 14-mile section of Interstate 95, between Manning and Sardinia, also remained closed. Additional rain is expected to affect a few areas over the weekend. The state of South Carolina experienced record rainfall amounts over the weekend which stranded motorists and residents and forced hundreds of evacuations and rescues.
And the University of South Carolina chose to move its football game Saturday to Baton Rouge, La., home of this week’s opponent, LSU.
Sheriff’s spokesman Lt. Curtis Wilson said the barricade was in the wrong lane, but regardless, the railroad workers should not have been out because there was a city-wide curfew in place.
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