People walk in the water at a flooded street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina. Much of the US southeast was under water on Saturday, deluged by rains from Hurricane Joaquin, with forecasters predicting more historic flooding in coming days for the already waterlogged region.
AFP/Charleston
Record rainfall left large areas of the US southeast under water yesterday as roads were closed and residents were warned to stay indoors.
The states of North and South Carolina have been particularly hard hit by heavy flooding, but the driving rain in recent days has spared almost none of the US East Coast.
The wild weather was blamed for four deaths in the Carolinas since Thursday.
The storms are part of a separate weather system from Hurricane Joaquin, which was downgraded to a Category 2 storm yesterday as it headed towards Bermuda.
South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley has warned of the possibility of record rainfall through Sunday and President Barack Obama on Saturday issued an emergency declaration for the state, ordering federal aid for areas affected by flooding.
Streets were submerged yesterday in the historic old town of Charleston, South Carolina, as non-stop rain battered the city, with flooding closing restaurants and bars.
The National Weather Service said the city had seen 14in (35cm) of rain over the past three days, beating a previous record of 12 inches in 1973.
“It’s the worst water I have seen in the 10 years I have lived here. Neighbours tell me it’s the worst since Hurricane Hugo” in 1989, said 38-year-old Jamieson Clair, a resident of the city.
Power was out in parts of South Carolina and Haley reiterated her call for drivers to keep off the roads over the weekend for their own safety.
As of mid-morning the Red Cross reported that it had opened 11 shelters across the state.
The South Carolina Emergency Management Division tweeted that more than 200 swift-water rescues had been reported since Saturday night, while the state’s Department of Transportation said at least 211 state roads and 43 bridges were closed due to flooding.
Meanwhile the University of South Carolina cancelled all Monday classes.
The National Weather Service warned of “potentially historic and life-threatening flooding” across the southeast of the US.
“The threat for widespread, catastrophic flooding will continue across parts of the southeast through the remainder of the weekend, as tropical moisture feeding into an area of low pressure produces moderate to heavy rainfall across the region,” it said.
“Gusty winds are also possible, which could lead to downed power lines.”
Forecasters said Joaquin now is closing in on tiny Bermuda, with a population of just 66,000, where the potential damage could rival what was seen in the Bahamas.
In its latest bulletin at 1500 GMT, the US National Hurricane Center said Joaquin’s “damaging winds” were expected on the island during the afternoon.
NHC forecast that Joaquin’s centre would pass “just west of Bermuda this afternoon,” dumping 3 to 5in (7.5 to 12.5cm) of rain by the end of the day.
In the Bahamas, a low-lying archipelago, residents surveyed the damage after Joaquin destroyed homes and left some without power or phone services.
“This is my 26th year living here and I have never seen this before,” San Salvador resident Paul Turnquest said in The Nassau Guardian Saturday.
“This is the worst I’ve ever seen.”
The Bahamas’ National Emergency Management Agency was working on damage assessment.
The Bahamas is home to 385,000 people and visited by far more tourists every year - about 1.3mn.
