Hide tide levels along the coast of South Carolina led to major flooding and reports of dangerous road conditions as Tropical Storm Idalia barrels its way up the Southeast Coast.
Officials predicted that the storm—which made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane, but has since been demoted—would reach Charleston by 8 p.m. Wednesday, bringing with it threats of storm surges, flooding and several tornado watches. Idalia devastated parts of Florida's Gulf Coast Wednesday morning and passed through parts of southeast Georgia before moving north.
Two deaths have been reported by the Florida Highway Patrol, according to a report from CNN. Patrol Sergeant Steve Gaskins told the network that the two men died in separate weather-related crashes on Wednesday. Another man was killed by a falling tree in Georgia while he was trying to clear a roadway that had been blocked by debris from the storm, reported the Associated Press (AP).
No deaths have been reported in South Carolina, but videos shared online show that dangerous floodwaters are starting to rise in beach towns along the coast. In one such video shared to X, formerly Twitter, WCSC journalist Rey Llerena reported that seawater had begun to breach the sand dunes at Edisto Beach, about 26 miles southwest of Charleston on Edisto Island, and was flooding into the street.
"It's hard to stand up," Llerena said, who posted the video at 6:17 p.m. Wednesday.
In another video posted by WCIV meteorologist Dave Williams, strong and powerful waves can be seen crashing over sand dunes on Edisto Beach. The National Weather Service (NWS) Charleston reported on its X account at 7:20 p.m. that sand dunes had been "breached at Edisto with water flowing under homes and onto roadways."
WCIV reporter Floriana Boardman also shared a video, at 7:31 p.m., of the floodwaters completely engulfing a road on Edisto Island, writing, "High tide has made it virtually impossible to get on or off the island."
The Charleston County Sheriff's Office shared a photo from inside a deputy's vehicle that shows flooded streets and downed trees from the storm.
"It's a good night to stay in," the sheriff's office wrote on its X account. "If you encounter street flooding, turn around. Don't drown. This is the scene deputies found on Pinckney Street in McClellanville."
It’s a good night to stay in. Trees are down. Roads are flooded. If you encounter street flooding, turn around. Don’t drown. This is the scene deputies found on Pinckney Street in McClellanville. #HurricaneIdalia pic.twitter.com/Jqc5YF3DWo
— Charleston County Sheriff’s Office (@ChasCoSheriff) August 31, 2023Idalia is predicted to reach Georgetown, South Carolina, at around 2 a.m. Thursday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Parts of North Carolina are also bracing for possible flooding and heavy rainfall overnight into Thursday before the tropical storm moves east, out into the Atlantic Ocean.
Newsweek reached out to the Charleston County Sheriff's Office via email on Wednesday night for additional information on the storm response.
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