Hurricane Florence after floods: Floods envelop homes in South Carolina as death toll increases

GEORGETOWN, S.C. – Twelve days after Hurricane Florence hit the coast of Carolina, and more than a week after its northward collapse and disappearance, rivers swollen by the continuing rains continue to flood homes and businesses . sea. The slow disaster has allowed forecasters to determine exactly who will be inundated.

There have been few rescues or surprises in South Carolina – just black, water entering slowly and even more slowly. A week ago, firefighters from Conway, South Carolina, went to a neighborhood and told locals surprised that their homes would be flooded from Florence – even though they had never been seen before. Water before.

On Monday and Tuesday, these same firefighters checked the same neighborhoods with maps detailing each of the approximately 1,000 houses that could be flooded. "It's a bit like we expect," said Conway Fire Chief Le Hendrick.

In part of the city on Tuesday, some homes were surrounded by six feet of floodwater, reported the CBS affiliate. "They are all great people who have lost everything," said Bob Joncas, whose home is in a Conway neighborhood.

The Waccamaw River, which runs through the city of 23,000 people and floods at 11 feet, is expected to reach 21.7 feet on Wednesday. On Friday, he passed the previous record of 17.9 feet set in 2016 by Hurricane Matthew.

The waterway was not supposed to go below 18 feet until next week.

All this water is heading towards Georgetown, where five different rivers reach the sea. The authorities said the worst floods would begin Wednesday and until Thursday, leaving probably only one highway in the city.

If that was not enough, there was still time off the coast in a hurricane season that is still two months old. National hurricane forecast forecasters observing a low pressure zone about 200 miles south of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, said it could become a tropical depression as it approaches the coast before moving quickly north.

Although it is likely that additional rains will be poured on the city of Wilmington, affected by the Florence disaster, it should not be large enough to aggravate the floods.

"There should not be a lot of damage in the rivers," said Reid Hawkins, a meteorologist with the Wilmington National Weather Service.

Officials at the South Carolina State Company were still cautiously monitoring two coal ash ponds near Conway. Santee Cooper officials said the floodwaters of the Waccamaw River had already made a pond, but most of the ashes had already been removed from a previous cleaning project.

The river is expected to flood the second basin soon, but the utility has pledged to take steps to reduce the impact on the environment, including installing silt fencing and a floating dam.

Not far from the ash ponds, engineers survey the American Highway 501, main link to Myrtle Beach. The water is now touching a temporary barrier of sand and plastic that has been erected to prevent water from entering the bridge. Called the Lifeline, the temporary wall will remain effective if the water does not exceed 5 feet of the current level, according to the State Transportation Department.

In North Carolina, which has always faced the aftermath of the storm, including fallen trees, debris and floodwater, the recovery process is just beginning. The state reported Tuesday another death caused by hurricane Florence and its remains.

The office of the governor of North Carolina, Roy Cooper, said that a 67-year-old man died while cleaning up storm debris in Craven County, and the coroner's office determined that the death was tied to the storm. The man, whose name was not immediately released, died after breaking his neck as he cleaned up on September 18, a few days after the storm hit the ground, the spokesman said. the state relief director, Keith Acree.

Cooper said the death is the 36th deadly storm for the state

In several states, at least 47 deaths have been attributed to Florence.