Joaquin's rains top records on coast

Carolinas’ roads, crops bear brunt

Waves churned by Hurricane Joaquin crash over a walkway Saturday in Charleston, S.C. Though spared the full brunt of the storm, parts of the East Coast were hit by record-setting rain, and President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency for South Carolina.
Waves churned by Hurricane Joaquin crash over a walkway Saturday in Charleston, S.C. Though spared the full brunt of the storm, parts of the East Coast were hit by record-setting rain, and President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency for South Carolina.

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- While spared the full fury of Hurricane Joaquin, parts of the East Coast still saw record-setting rain Saturday that shut down roads, waterlogged crops and showed little sign of letting up.

Much of the drenching was centered in the Carolinas, but coastal communities as far away as New Jersey were feeling the effects of unrelenting rainfall. Rain and flood warnings remained in effect for many parts of the East Coast through today. At least five weather-related deaths have been reported.

Three people died in three separate weather-related traffic incidents in South Carolina since the heavy rains began, the state's highway patrol said, including two motorists who lost control of their cars and a pedestrian hit by a car.

Once the rain ends, the flood threat persists because the ground is too saturated to absorb water, meteorologists said. And high winds could topple trees like the one that fell on a vehicle near Fayetteville, N.C., killing a passenger. The storm also has been linked to a drowning in Spartanburg, S.C.

President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in South Carolina and ordered federal aid to help state and local efforts.

Downtown Charleston, S.C., was closed to incoming traffic Saturday as rain flooded roads and left some motorists stranded as floodwaters engulfed their cars. At least two bridges were washed out in other parts of the state.

"Where we normally are dealing with flooding for a few hours, we're dealing with it in days here," Charleston Police Chief Greg Mullen said. "We're seeing areas flood today that did not traditionally flood."

Several shelters were opened in coastal counties while health officials warned people not to swim or play in the floodwaters.

Inland areas of South Carolina also were battered by rain. In Columbia, which is in the middle of the state, business owners spent Saturday caulking and duct-taping windows and readying sandbags.

"I know it's going to be a sleepless night," said Kelly Tabor, owner of Good for the Sole shoe store.

The Greenville-Spartanburg Airport in South Carolina recorded 2.3 inches of rain Saturday, smashing the previous record of 0.77 inches set in 1961, according to John Tomko, National Weather Service meteorologist at Greenville-Spartanburg.

"This one is extraordinary in that it's such a prolonged event," he said.

In North Carolina, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said farmers are starting to see rain damage to their crops. Apples in Henderson County are starting to split open because they're waterlogged and farmers can't get into the fields to harvest other crops.

"I had one farmer tell me this is like getting all of your cash assets, put them on a clothesline, waiting for the wind to blow them away," he said.

Flooded roads were closed throughout the mid-Atlantic region and utility companies reported scattered power failures in several states.

In New Jersey, storms dislodged a house from its pilings in a low-lying area of Middle Township in the southern part of the state. No one was in the residence.

The National Weather Service in Greenville, S.C., said that "bursts of heavy rain are likely" in the Carolinas and parts of northern Georgia, which could cause some rivers and streams to flood significantly.

The rain levels had the potential to be "life threatening and historic," the service said on its website.

Flood watches and warnings also are in effect in Delaware and parts of New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.

Information for this article was contributed by Alan Suderman, Brock Vergakis, David Dishneau, Bruce Shipkowski, Chuck Burton and Julie Walker of The Associated Press.

A Section on 10/04/2015

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