SHE'S A POWERFUL FORCE -- NATURAL DISASTERS

[HairOfTheDog]

DEADLY FLOODING IN SOUTH CAROLINA

At least seven people are dead and hundreds have needed rescue as South Carolina continues to be deluged by rain and historic levels of flooding. A State of Emergency has been declared.

Department of Transportation worker Timothy Wayne Gibson, 45, died Sunday, the most recent fatality blamed on the vast storm. Gibson was reportedly working on the flooded Garners Ferry Road, a major thoroughfare into the capital city. Transportation officials said his truck was caught in rushing waters, overturned and swept away.

The National Weather Service said Sunday was the wettest day in the history of Columbia, with the rainfall total at the Metropolitan Airport coming in at a record 6.87 inches. The two-day rainfall total for Saturday and Sunday was 10.44 inches and, since Friday, more than 20 inches have fallen in some parts. The fast-moving floodwaters have buckled buildings and roads, closed a 75-mile stretch of Interstate 95, and threatened the drinking water supply for the state's capital city.

Gov. Nikki Haley said Monday morning that 381 roads were closed, 127 bridges were down and more than two dozen shelters were open. Over 1,000 law enforcement personnel and 1,000 transportation department workers are on duty. Utility crews are still trying to restore service to 30,000 customers.

Haley said most people are heeding her plea to stay off the roads.

"I think they get it," she said. "All you have to do is look out the window and see the flooding. It doesn't take long for you to get in your car and realize you've got to turn back around."

Emergency shelters were being opened around the state for displaced residents, and President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in South Carolina.

Along the coast, rainfall had exceeded two feet since Friday in some areas around Charleston, though conditions had improved enough that residents and business owners were allowed downtown on a limited basis.

Charleston Mayor Joe Riley said he's never seen flooding as bad in his 40 years as mayor.
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The rescue workers there are busting their assess and putting their own lives at risk. Hoping the storm lets up soon.

Full story: http://www.foxnews.com/weather/2015/10/0...ast-coast/

[Duchess]

I saw some video of their interstate highway and it looked like a fast moving river. I'm sorry for those who are losing everything including their lives. It's horrible.

[Blindgreed1]

20 inches in three days is pretty serious stuff.

[HairOfTheDog]

I just heard on the news that several houses have been leveled, roads are blocked, and 11 have been killed by a 200 mph tornado that hit Garland, Texas. RIP.



Warnings have also been issued for New Mexico and Oklahoma.

Mother Nature's on a tear; dangerous stuff.

[Duchess]

Tornadoes are so scary. Give me a plain ol' hurricane any day.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Those tornadoes hit home turf. No one I know was directly affected that I know of so far. Lots of folks out of a home and 50,000 with no power and an ice storm possibly inbound. Lots of critters running loose, scared pets being picked up off the streets and taken to shelters. This was a bad hit but only 11 dead last I checked

[HairOfTheDog]

Tornadoes are so scary. Give me a plain ol' hurricane any day.

Yeah, they're scarier than earthquakes to me. But, that might just be because I'm used to quakes and most of them aren't deadly.

I saw one family interviewed after the tornado hit Texas this morning. Their house was pretty much thrashed, but they all survived because they had a storm shelter. I always think of those as below-ground, like in Wizard of Oz. But it was above ground and on the side of the property. Another man said he put his wife in the bathtub and lied on top of her, they both survived.

I understand there is an alarm system to let residents know when a tornado is heading towards them, but the max lead time is 14 minutes. Not a lot of time, but enough time for the people at home to hunker down or get to safe shelters.

The people on the highway weren't so fortunate. I think all the fatalities were people who were swept up in moving vehicles. Man, it would be scary to see that coming at you with nowhere to go.

ETA: I hadn't even thought about pets, Six. Good to know the emergency workers are looking out for them.

[SIXFOOTERsez]

Yea my facebook feed is full of pieces about animals, lots of folks pups are out right now.
I just read an update, there were 9 separate tornadoes

[Duchess]

Yeah, they're scarier than earthquakes to me. But, that might just be because I'm used to quakes and most of them aren't deadly.

They are just so unpredictable and more powerful than anything I've ever seen. The force is almost unbelievable, it will strip the bark off trees. The only thing that scares me more is death of a loved one.

I've only experienced one earthquake. It was crazy wild and felt like my home was undulating beneath my feet. I was talking to LC at the time and she felt it all the way up on the Cape too.

[Cutz]

undulating

Dem der big collige wurds ars confusin.

[Duchess]

Dem der big collige wurds ars confusin.

You can handle it Mr. Masters Degree.

[FAHQTOO]

Dem der big collige wurds ars confusin.

You can handle it Mr. Masters Degree.

It's pouring ice here right now, and loud thunderboomers also.

[Duchess]

It's pouring ice here right now, and loud thunderboomers also.

You know what that means! Here it comes!

[FAHQTOO]

It's pouring ice here right now, and loud thunderboomers also.

You know what that means! Here it comes!

Batton down the hatches. I don't know how much ice we've got but trees are starting to fall down.

[Duchess]

Batton down the hatches. I don't know how much ice we've got but trees are starting to fall down.

Charge all your tech stuff & fill your tub with water so you have it to flush toilets.

[Cutz]

Couldn't you just melt the ice?

[HairOfTheDog]

It's effin' freezing here in the mornings, but that's the worst of our comparatively petty weather woes.

It's been confirmed that 47 people died over the weekend due to tornadoes, blizzards, severe thunderstorms and floods. Eleven people were killed in Texas, ten in Mississippi, six in Tennessee, eight in Missouri, five in Illinois, two in Alabama, two in Georgia and one in Arkansas.

Unfortunately, the brutal storms aren't over yet. Fortunately, they're expected to end soon.

The cause of the storms is being attributed to El Niño, a warming of the eastern Pacific Ocean, mainly along the equator. El Niños occur every two to seven years in varying intensity, and the waters of the eastern Pacific can be up to 7 degrees Fahrenheit warmer than usual.

At least 69 tornadoes have touched down in the United States in just the past week; the average is 24 for the entire month of December.

Flooding causes many more deaths in the country than tornadoes do. And there have already been about 400 reports of rivers flooding in the country.

In some places, the rainfall hasn’t stopped for weeks. Portland and Seattle have been drenched with rain every day in December.

And the United States isn’t alone. The UK and South America are dealing with their own massive flooding.

http://ktla.com/2015/12/29/brutal-weathe...ed-deaths/

[Duchess]

Sad to read of all the deaths. I've seen some video of the wild weather and the destruction and deaths are just awful :(

El Nino has given me an amazing Winter so far. It's been downright bizarre at times to have 75 degrees in December.

[Midwest Spy]

We've received almost a foot of snow in the past few days.

Kids are stoked.

[Duchess]

I would be stoked too if I could go sledding.