Flood risk lessens for coastal South Carolinians

Officials in Georgetown County, S.C., say flooding resulting from Hurricane Florence will not be as bad as expected this week. Originally, forecasters said multiple rivers could bring as much as 10 feet of floodwaters to this coastal community, but that estimate has been lowered to only 2 to 4 feet. The latest predictions also delay the peak period of flooding from Thursday to Friday, giving residents more time to prepare. But South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster warned that forecasts could change again. “We are still in full battle mode in Georgetown County,” he said at a news conference Wednesday.

Farther upstream in Conway, S.C., the Waccamaw River has remained steady for nearly a day and is about 6 inches under the predicted crest.

So far, close to 2,000 homes in South Carolina have been damaged by floodwaters, according to state Emergency Management Division Director Kim Stenson, but those are just preliminary estimates and the number likely will grow substantially before the threat of flooding ends.