South Carolina governor calls deadly rain a ‘thousand-year’ event
By Kevin Conlon and Nick Valencia, CNN
Updated
8:54 PM EDT, Sun October 4, 2015
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Story highlights
Gov. Haley calls S.C. rain 'thousand-year event'
NEW: All highways closed in the capital, Columbia, which had wettest day on record Sunday
NEW: 5 deaths in S. Carolina blamed on weather
(CNN) —
South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley didn’t mince any words Sunday about just how dangerous a situation the weather– which was blamed for five deaths in the state by Sunday night – had become in her state.
“We are at a 1,000-year level of rain,” Haley said at an afternoon news conference. “That’s how big this is.”
It wasn’t hyperbole.
Since weather records don’t go back far enough to know if it’s rained this much in South Carolina in a 1,000 years, a “thousand-year rainfall” means that the amount of rainfall in South Carolina has a 1-in-1,000 chance of happening in any given year, explained CNN meteorologist Taylor Ward.
Certain areas of South Carolina had never before been deluged with such eye-popping rainfall tallies: more than 24 inches in Mount Pleasant, nearly 20 inches in areas around Charleston and more than 18 inches in the Gills Creek area of Columbia, according to Ward.
Steven Pfaff of the National Weather Service said the “phenomenal amount of rainfall” was “a very dangerous situation.”
“Flash flood warnings have been issued and many areas that received a large amount of rainfall 24 hours ago are being hit hard again,” said Plaff. “This is an extremely dangerous situation in those areas.”
Haley: keep off the roads
But the torrential rain was more than just dangerous. It was deadly.
The weather is being blamed for five deaths along South Carolina roadways, according to Derrec Becker of the South Carolina Emergency Management Division.
Three of those deaths were reported by the South Carolina Highway Patrol, and two by the Richland County Sheriff’s Department, according to Becker.
The weather service issued a public service announcement video reminding people not to drive through rushing waters, no matter how shallow the water appears to be. “Do not attempt to drive into flooded roadways … it takes just 12 inches of flowing water to carry off a small car. Turn around, don’t drown,” it said.
“Regardless of where you are in the state, stay home,” implored the governor. “Stay off the roadways.”
But many didn’t heed their call.
Becker said that 315 vehicle collisions occurred in one 12-hour period on Sunday, and Haley said that more than 750 motorists called for assistance during that same stretch.
Perhaps that is why Haley went beyond simply urging South Carolinians to stay off the roads in some areas. In Columbia, for example – a city that had the rainiest day in its history Sunday according to the National Weather Service – Haley made sure of it by closing all interstates in and around the capital city.
“This is an incident we’ve never dealt with before,” she said.
National Guard deployed
Haley announced Sunday that in addition to the eight swift water rescue teams and 11 aircraft, 600 National Guardsmen had been deployed to assist in rescues and evacuations, and that hundreds more were on standby.
The day before, President Barack Obama signed a statewide emergency declaration retroactive to Thursday, authorizing federal aid in anticipation of more rain.
Haley also said several fellow states, including North Carolina, Tennessee and Florida had lent resources as well.
Not over yet
The weather service forecast “catastrophic flash flooding” overnight into Monday in Berkeley County in South Carolina, where more than 18 inches of rain had fallen in 24 hours, according to the CNN Weather Center.
“It’s not over,” warned Haley. “We are in the middle of it…we have another 24 hours of this.”
Northeast on deck
The wet misery isn’t just limited to South Carolina; as of Sunday evening, both Carolinas, New Jersey and Virginia were under states of emergency, and the weather service has issued flood watches stretching from Georgia to Delaware.
But Hurricane Joaquin, downgraded to Category 3 strength earlier in the day Sunday and only expected to continue to weaken, isn’t necessarily the culprit – it’s coming from two sources.
The low pressure area associated with the rain soaking the Carolinas is funneling heavy tropical moisture into the region, creating the torrential rainfall, the CNN Weather Center said.
While Hurricane Joaquin is predicted to miss the U.S., water connected to the storm is feeding torrential rain on the East Coast.
The moisture the storm is pulling in is also associated with Hurricane Joaquin, but the two systems shouldn’t be confused.
Joaquin inched northward in the Atlantic on Sunday, but luckily away from U.S. shores. However, the storm is expected to push in a storm surge in the Northeast as it passes, resulting in a one-two water punch.
“Life-threatening rip currents, high surf and coastal flooding, mainly at high tides, will stretch nearly the entire eastern U.S. coast,” CNN meteorologist Michael Guy said.
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
This aerial photo shows flooding around Aberdeen Country Club in Longs, South Carolina, on Tuesday, October 6. South Carolina experienced record rainfall amounts over the weekend, forcing hundreds of evacuations and rescues.
PHOTO:
Janet Blackmon Morgan/The Sun News via AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A woman uses her boat to check on neighbors and see if they want to evacuate in Summerville, South Carolina, on Monday, October 5.
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Mic Smith/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Police officers carry a woman to dry land after she was rescued from her home in the St. Andrews area of Columbia, South Carolina, on October 5.
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Tim Dominick/The State/TNS via Getty Images
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Neighbors and friends help clean up a home affected by flooding in Columbia on October 5.
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Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Five-month-old Jeremiah Odum, left, and his 2-year-old brother, Braxton Odum, nap on a cot in a high school gymnasium being used as a Red Cross shelter for flood evacuees in Rowesville, South Carolina, on October 5.
PHOTO:
Russ Bynum/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Rescue teams wait for an emergency vehicle in the Forest Acres neighborhood of Columbia on Monday, October 5.
PHOTO:
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
An oil sheen floats atop floodwater in a subdivision west of the Ashley River in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 5.
PHOTO:
Mic Smith/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A dog is cut off from its home in Florence, South Carolina, on October 5. Florence is about 85 miles east of the capital city, Columbia.
PHOTO:
Gerry Broome/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Hunter Baker drives his boat down a flooded East Black Creek Road to his home following heavy rains in Florence on October 5.
PHOTO:
Gerry Broome/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A man makes his way through floodwaters in the parking lot of The Citadel Beach Club on Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on October 5. Charleston and surrounding areas are still struggling with flooding, as are areas 100 miles inland.
PHOTO:
Mic Smith/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Members of Norfolk Fire-Rescue pull a man from his car in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday, October 4.
PHOTO:
Jason Hirschfeld/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
David Linnen takes a yard rake to clear drains in front of the Winyah Apartments in Georgetown, South Carolina, on October 4.
PHOTO:
Mic Smith/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Charlene Stennis is escorted to safety after her son was rescued from a stranded vehicle during the heavy rains on October 4 in Columbia, South Carolina.
PHOTO:
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
The roof of a submerged vehicle peeks above the flood waters on October 4 in Columbia, South Carolina.
PHOTO:
Sean Rayford/Getty Images
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Tripp Adams, 8, walks through flood waters in Georgetown, South Carolina, on October 4.
PHOTO:
Mic Smith/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A person walks through the flooded Market and Water streets in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, on October 4.
PHOTO:
Harry Hamburg/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Neighbors watch employees with the city of Isle of Palms, South Carolina, cut a live oak tree that fell after heavy rain on October 4.
PHOTO:
Mic Smith/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A man watches as a vehicle tries to navigate flood waters in Florence, South Carolina, on October 4.
PHOTO:
Gerry Broome/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Two men row a boat on a flooded street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, on October 4.
PHOTO:
MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Police block an entrance to Highway 17 in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 4.
PHOTO:
MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A man paddles up to a flooded store in Columbia, South Carolina, on October 4.
PHOTO:
Chuck Burton/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A firefighter walks down a flooded street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, on October 4.
PHOTO:
MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A worker cleans a drain on a flooded street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday, October 3.
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MLADEN ANTONOV/AFP/AFP/Getty Images
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A utility worker examines the damage to a home Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 3.
PHOTO:
TODD SUMLIN/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A motorist turns back as floodwater rises in Harrisburg, North Carolina, on October 3.
PHOTO:
TODD SUMLIN/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A woman walks through One City Plaza in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, as rain and wind pound the area on October 3.
PHOTO:
Heidi Heilbrunn/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Bob Ashbaugh, from Pittsburgh, takes video of waves crashing over homes at risk from erosion during high tide in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on October 3.
PHOTO:
Mic Smith/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Stuart Tait ties together wood after his house collapsed into an inlet on Grassy Sound during high tide on October 3 north of North Wildwood, New Jersey.
PHOTO:
Tim Hawk/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Will Cunningham, 14, rides his bike down Station 29 on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, ahead of his paddling friend Patrick Kelly, 14, on October 3.
PHOTO:
Mic Smith/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Paul Banker paddles a kayak as his wife, Wink Banker, takes photos on a flooded street in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 3.
PHOTO:
Chuck Burton/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Up to 4 inches of rain could strike the waterfront between Georgia and New Jersey. Motorists deal with the conditions on Friday, October 2, in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.
PHOTO:
Van Tine Dennis/Sipa USA
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Workers install a flood barrier at the entrance to the Market Pavilion Hotel in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, on Friday, October 2. Parts of the South Carolina coast braced for likely flooding.
PHOTO:
Chuck Burton/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Flooding engulfs a neighborhood in the Strathmere section of Upper Township, New Jersey, on October 2.
PHOTO:
Wayne Parry/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Sandbags surround a building in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia.
PHOTO:
Matthew Barakat/AP
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
A man closes a storefront on October 2 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey.
PHOTO:
Van Tine Dennis/Sipa USA
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Floodwater rises along Central Avenue in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, on October 2.
PHOTO:
LORI M. NICHOLS/EJA/NJ Advance Media /Landov
Photos: Storms flood East Coast
Cars negotiate flooded streets on October 2 in Midland Beach on Staten Island, New York.
CNN’s Nick Valencia reported from South Carolina. CNN’s Kevin Conlon wrote from Atlanta. CNN’s Ben Brumfield, Ashley Fantz, Greg Botelho, Joe Sutton, Devon Sayers, Tony Marco, Shawn Nottingham, Dominique Dodley, Michael Martinez and Kerry Chan-Laddaran also contributed to this report.