Southeast Hit by 'Historic' Rainfall
— -- A major storm that has already brought over a foot of rain to parts of South Carolina is expected to bring more heavy rain over the next 24 hours.
Charleston, South Carolina got up to 11.5 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service Charleston South Carolina Saturday, making it the wettest day on record for that city. Over the next two days, parts of eastern South Carolina and North Carolina could receive 10 more inches of rain.
The torrential rains, stretching from the Carolinas to New Jersey, have left five governors declaring a state of emergency.
This home on the New Jersey coast was swept away and destroyed Friday.
The risk of flooding will continue through Monday morning, with the possibility of roads being washed away and rivers and creeks rising rapidly.
The National Weather Service Charleston South Carolina tweeted that a flash flood emergency was issued for Berkeley and Charleston counties, and added that catastrophic flash flooding is expected.
A flash flood emergency was also issued for southern portions of Dorchester according to the NWS, which was characterized as a ‘life threatening situation’ via Twitter.
According to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, more than 29,000 customers were without power throughout the state as of early Sunday morning.
Mario Formisano, emergency management director for Dorchester County, said there were about 140 rescues during the overnight in that county.
At least five weather-related deaths were reported when the rains began to blanket the Eastern Seaboard, according to the Associated Press.
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley emphasized the seriousness of the storm during a press conference Friday. "We're going see rainfall at historic levels. This will be a historic rainfall event that we've never seen before in South Carolina."
Local law enforcement in Charleston, South Carolina, has shut down several roads on the peninsula, stopping traffic from entering the city.
The ground is already saturated in the Southeast due to ongoing rains this past week.
Outside of South Carolina, coastal flooding and heavy rains will persist along much of the East Coast this weekend.
As for Hurricane Joaquin, conditions for Bermuda will deteriorate as of Sunday morning with damaging winds likely. Joaquin remains a category 3 hurricane moving at 20 miles per hour.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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