Wednesday, October 7, 2015

October 2,3,4 Columbia, the One Thousand Year Flood

"All the springs of the vast watery deep were broken and he floodgates of the heavens were opened"

Lying in my bed on Friday night, I listened to the pouring down of water, pouring, pouring, pouring, not driven by the wind, coming straight down in torrents. During the day on Saturday, the downpour lessened, but again on Saturday night, the pouring continued, lessening again during the day Sunday but continuing into the night.  On Monday afternoon, there was a space of blue sky and on Tuesday, the rain stopped and the sun appeared over the soakened ground.  Across the road from my house, the Lawson's Ford roared over its banks and crashed down the spillway.

The rivers of the Upstate and the mountains are carrying the vast flood to meet in Columbia where they have had two feet of rain.  I dreamed that the ghost of my sister came to help with the flood that is enveloping Columbia where Michael and John and their families are staying home, boiling their water and under curfew from 6 pm to 6 am.  John takes shifts with the Emergency Staff meeting 24 hours a day in their office near the Farmer's Market on 321.

The watersheds of the Edisto, flowing to the South and The Great Pee Dee flowing from the North are carrying the water to the sea and flooding the towns along the way. Manning is underwater.  19 dams have broken.

The Edisto at Givhans Ferry is calculated to crest on Sunday at 16.5 feet.

In recorded history, there has not been a flood like this in South Carolina.  The devastation is worse than Hurricane Hugo

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