Florence: Severe floods are to be feared near the coast SC – History

BLADENBORO, N.C. (AP) – Rivers swollen by the floods of the old hurricane Florence threaten swamp 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 have warned up to 8,000 people for possible evacuations starting Monday in the expectation of a "death penalty." record event "of up to 3 meters (10 feet) this week.

LINK: How to help people affected by Florence

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.

We are ready to answer your calls regarding road conditions in South Carolina.

855-GO-SCDOT (855-467-2368).

The SCDOT call center has handled more than 35,000 calls since the floods began and was open 24 hours a day to help motorists. #Florence #TeamSC pic.twitter.com/38bn6CZDQ3

– SCDOT (@SCDOTPress) September 25, 2018

Georgetown County Emergency Management Director Sam Hodge said in a video posted online Sunday that shelters are open Monday for residents of the area and invited locals to warn of potential 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 feed, advising people not to wait for an official evacuation order if they felt in danger.

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

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 showed firefighters detonating dead fish on the shoulder of the highway with a fire hose in eastern North Carolina.

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 bring misery to North Carolina," said Sunday North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper. 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.

The storm has killed at least 43 people since it hit the coast on September 14th.

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 cost $ 192.2 billion in 2005, while Hurricane Harvey last year cost $ 133.5 billion. Moody's Analytics estimates that Florence caused $ 40 billion in damages and $ 4 billion in economic output, although the company noted that the estimate is 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 .

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Wagoner and Robertson have been reported in Raleigh, North Carolina. Associated Press authors Jeffrey Collins in Colombia, South Carolina and Michael Biesecker in Washington, DC, also contributed to this report.