Rain fell again on South Carolina on Saturday after four dry days as officials remained on guard, 10 days after a state of emergency was declared following a record rainfall of more than 2 feet (60 cm) in parts of South Carolina. The ensuing floods washed out roads, inundated hundreds of homes and killed at least 19 people in the state.
The unprecedented flooding was said to be "the sixth 1-in-1,000 year rain event in the US since 2010."
Residents who were evacuated in the state capital Columbia were finding it difficult to return home because of thunderstorms, NBC News said.
Moreover, the national weather service warned that a storm was moving toward Charleston with heavy winds.
More than 300 roads and bridges throughout the state remained closed, and more than 100 dams were being checked for damages. Floodwaters have already breached 20 of those dams, officials said.
Authorities continued to encourage residents to leave their homes as a precaution as floodwaters are flowing south into already-swollen rivers and tributaries toward the Atlantic Ocean, Reuters reported.
The latest fatalities include two people who were found inside a pickup truck that plunged into water at a 20-foot gap where the pavement was washed out in Richland County.
Sheriff's spokesman Lieutenant Curtis Wilson said the two disappeared in waters
"after they drove around a barricade," while the other two were among the three people who reportedly managed to get to safety but were later found dead inside the truck.
On Tuesday, Columbia saw its first day without rain since Sept. 23. But weather forecasters cautioned residents that they are not yet out of the woods as faulty dams and swollen rivers could just unleash a second round of flooding.
Governor Nikki Haley told a news conference that more evacuations were possible in a number of eastern counties.
"Things are getting better in the Midlands," she said, according to Fox News. "Things are about to get worse on the coast."
Melissa Harrington, 56, meanwhile told Reuters she and her 78-year-old sister have already taken shelter at a local high school for fear of another round of flooding.
"We thought better safe than sorry," She said. "I know that God would protect us, but I'd rather not get a ladder and perch atop the house if I can help it."
The school has sheltered more than 100 people, according to Reuters.
Hundreds more reportedly arrived at the school on Wednesday for free cases of water after the storm left thousands of homes with no water or contaminated supplies, reports said.
