South Carolina floods: A historic storm in 5 images

South Carolina continues to reel from flooding unleashed by a historic storm that dumped nearly 2 feet of rain into the central part of the state in recent days. Storm waters headed toward the coast have led Gov. Nikki Haley to urge some coastal residents to evacuate.

Cleanup begins

Seventeen of South Carolina’s 46 counties were receiving disaster assistance Thursday as the state accumulates cleanup costs that could top $1 billion, according an estimate by U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.). Two hundred sixty-nine roads and 134 bridges were closed, mostly in the central and coastal portions of South Carolina, according to the state Department of Transportation. In Summerville on Thursday, Dorchester Road flooded again because a pump, here watched by department workers George Jenkins and Edward Williams, could not keep up with rising waters.

Preparing for the worst

At least 17 people have died in South Carolina’s flooding, including nine in the state capital, Columbia. Officials are distributing drinking water around Columbia as workers fight breaches in the Columbia Canal, a main source of the city’s drinking water. Contractors are scrambling to build a rock dam to plug the holes while the National Guard places giant sandbags into the rushing water.

Complaints of looting

Two men have been arrested on suspicion of looting in Columbia, where a midnight-to-6 a.m. curfew is in place and National Guard troops have been given arrest power. In the Gills Creek neighborhood of Columbia, police here investigate a report of looting. County officials have warned about scammers who may be driving around in vehicles with false Federal Emergency Management Agency markings. An order to boil water before using for cooking or drinking remains in place around the city.

Agriculture losses

Thousands of acres of farmland were underwater earlier this week in flooding that may have caused at least $300 million in crop losses, according to a “conservative” estimate from South Carolina Agricultural Commissioner Hugh Weathers. “The affected crops include peanuts, cotton, fall vegetables, soybeans and some timber,” Weathers said in a statement, adding that the year had already been tough for farmers because of severe drought. In the Givhans area, Sarah Dillow helps remove ostriches from one flooded farm.

Bracing for more

Fourteen dams have failed around the state as of Thursday, according to the South Carolina Emergency Management Division, up from 11 on Tuesday. Seventy dams have been put on a watchlist. In addition to destroying houses and washing out roads, the rising waters have caused caskets to come out of the ground at the cemetery at Canaan United Methodist Church near Summerville.

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