After Hurricane Florence: South Carolina Prepares for Possible Record Flood

BLADENBORO, N.C. – Rivers swollen by the floods of the old Hurricane Florence threaten to overwhelm communities near the coast of South Carolina, leaving thousands of people ready to evacuate.

More than a week after Florence hit the Carolinas, pouring heavy rains, all this water is getting closer to the coast. Authorities in Georgetown County, South Carolina, said they warned 8,000 people against possible evacuations starting Monday in the expectation of a "record event" of up to 10 feet this week.

Officials are particularly eyeing the jigs along the Pee Dee and Waccamaw rivers and said people should be ready to leave their homes in potential flood zones before potentially life-threatening floods begin as early as Tuesday.

Georgetown County Emergency Management Director Sam Hodge said Sunday that shelters were open Monday for local residents and urged locals to alert neighbors and friends about possible dangers. The community was also distributing free sandbags, but said Monday was probably the last day to rush the preparations before the affected people go out.

"From the field boots to the technology we have, we are trying to get the message across," Hodge said in the video, advising people not to wait for an official evacuation order when they get there. felt in danger.

Residents of areas that should not be flooded were also asked to evacuate, as roads could be cut, according to a statement from Georgetown County spokesman Jackie Broach, quoted by WCSC-TV's affiliate CBS Charleston.

Flooding has been going on for several days in neighboring North Carolina, with water slowly moving towards the coast.

The storm has killed at least 44 people in North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia since September 14, according to a CBS News report.

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The flood is seen in Conway, S.C., on September 23, 2018, in a video taken by drone Don Kelley Jr.

Don Kelley Jr.

According to the National Weather Service, in North Carolina, five gauging stations were still in a major flood phase and five others were at a moderate flood stage. It was expected that the Cape Fear River would become flooded and remain at a flood stage early in the week, and parts of Interstate 40 highways would remain under water for a longer period of time. week or more.

Parts of Interstate 95 were also supposed to be under water for days, but North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper announced Sunday night that the main highway had been reopened to all.

But the floodwaters already receding on a stretch of Interstate 40 have left thousands of fish in decay on the sidewalk to allow the firefighters to clean them up. A video shows firefighters who sprayed dead fish on the shoulder of the highway with a fire hose in eastern North Carolina, WCSC says.

North Carolina Emergency Management Director Michael Sprayberry said eastern counties continue to experience major flooding, including areas along the Black, Lumber, Neuse and Cape Fear rivers.

Elsewhere in North Carolina, environmental officials also said they were closely monitoring two sites where Florence waters flooded coal ash sites.

"Florence continues to hurt North Carolina," North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper said Sunday. He added that the teams made about 350 rescues over the weekend and that this trip remains dangerous in the southeast of his state. But he said members of the National Guard would move towards door-to-door wellness and air search checks on people living in areas still inundated.

An economic research firm estimated that Florence had caused about $ 44 billion in damages and a loss of production, making it one of the 10 most expensive American hurricanes. Hurricane Katrina, in 2005, cost $ 192.2 billion in dollars today, while Hurricane Harvey last year cost $ 133.5 billion. Moody's Analytics estimates that Florence caused $ 40 billion in damages and a $ 4 billion economic loss of production, although the company pointed out that the estimate was preliminary.

In Washington, Congress begins to consider nearly $ 1.7 billion in new funding to help revitalize Florence. Lawmakers are already facing a deadline this week to fund the government before the start of the new fiscal year on Oct. 1, and members of Congress should try to respond to disaster relief with separate legislation to fund the government .