Debby Live Updates: McMaster says ‘third act’ to bring SC river flooding as storm moves north

Tropical Storm Debby has been dropping rain on South Carolina all week. It stayed over the Charleston coast Wednesday but made its second landfall around 2 a.m. Thursday near Bulls Bay, South Carolina. More rain is still forecast for the Midlands as the storm moves north.

Here’s the latest news as Debby’s impacts continue:

3:10 p.m. Power outages continue

There were about 13,000 power outages being reported across the Palmetto State as of 3:03 p.m. Thursday, according to poweroutage.us, which collects power outage data from across the U.S.

In terms of providers, Duke Energy reportedly had the most outages as of about 3 p.m. Thursday, with 7,147. Dominion Energy was reporting about 3,626 outages at that time.

Lexington County had about 1,900 total outages as of 3 p.m., while Laurens County was dealing with 1,568 outages. Richland County had about 1,492 outages as of early Thursday afternoon.

That’s an increase from the roughly 9,000 outages being reported around 9:20 a.m. Thursday.

Thousands of power outages linger in SC as Tropical Storm Debby continues its long stay

3 p.m. While Gov. McMaster says worst is over, NWS warns of river flooding

The worst impacts from Tropical Storm Debby in South Carolina are now likely over, as the storm moves north into North Carolina. But outer rain bands from the storm may still affect the state into Friday.

“We’re entering the third act of this three-act play,” McMaster said during a press briefing Thursday. “The rains may be gone, but river flooding will take place, and there will be a lot of that.”

After making landfall near the Pee Dee area at 2 a.m. Thursday morning, Debby is now located about 55 miles southeast of Charlotte, with speeds at about 40 mph, said John Quagliariello of the National Weather Service in Columbia.

The storm has increased its speed to 10 mph and should lift fully into North Carolina shortly, Quagliariello said.

Quagliariello said the threat of flash flooding threat could persist into Thursday night, as outer bands from Debby continue to impact the area.

“The next phase of the event will be the considerable rises on area rivers, with many across the eastern part of the state expected to reach moderate flood stage and a few possibly major flood stage,” he said.

Dangerous river flooding possible as Debby moves to the north, SC governor warns

1 p.m. Columbia to keep open overflow shelter

The city of Columbia opened it’s overflow shelter for residents experiencing homelessness Wednesday and will keep it open Thursday night. The shelter at 191 Calhoun St. will open at 5 p.m. Those in need of the overflow shelter can get there via the COMET bus, which will begin transports to the shelter at 5 p.m. at the corner of Sumter and Laurel streets.

12:30 p.m. If the river’s flooded, don’t go swimming

Water levels are up on the Congaree, Lower Saluda and Broad rivers, and the Congaree Riverkeeper is reporting elevated levels of bacteria at Midlands rivers. “... Probably not the best time to get on the rivers.” the riverkeeper tweeted Thursday.

Elsewhere, officials are asking boaters to stay off the flooded Edisto River as the wake from boats could futher damage homes along the river that have already been damaged by flooding.

12 noon. Some schools to return to normal

School Districts for Lexington-Richland 5, Lexington 3 and Lexington 4, as well as Richland 2 announced that each school district will operate on its normal in-person class schedule on Friday after not holding in-person classes Thursday.

10:50 a.m. Irmo closes parks, trees in the road

The town of Irmo announced all of its public parks will be closed Thursday as impacts from Debby are still lingering over the area. The closures include the Friarsgate skate park and the Green Iceburg community garden, according to a Facebook post from the town.

Elsewhere, in Lexington, South Carolina Highway Patrol trooper William Bennet shared a photo of a downed tree on Cedarbrook Drive.

9:30 a.m. damage reports and flooded roads across SC

Some parts of South Carolina are dealing with the aftermath of Debby’s downpour earlier this week.

The Charleston Police Department shared a photo of a large sinkhole spanning most of a roadway on Romney Street, just north of downtown.

The Colleton County Sheriff’s Office shared photos Thursday morning of heavily flooded roadways around the county, taken by deputies while patrolling.

9 a.m. Flash flood warnings

Flash flood warnings remain in effect for the Elgin and Lancaster areas. The National Weather Service also says its biggest concern now is the I-26 corridor and the northeast, where flash flooding and gusty winds are still possible.

7 a.m. National Weather Service gives update after Debby landfall

Tropical Storm Debby made landfall at about 2 a.m. Thursday near Bull’s Bay, South Carolina. As of 7 a.m., Debby was a 50-mph tropical storm, moving north at about 5 mph. The center of the storm is expected to move through the Pee Dee region Thursday.

Wind advisories were in place for parts of the Midlands north of Columbia Thursday morning, with the National Weather Service warning of 50 miles per hour gusts, but that warning has since been lifted. The Columbia area is still forecast to see another 1.5 inches of rain between Thursday and Friday morning, with the area north of Camden seeing up to 4 inches.

Debby returns to SC and the slow-moving tropical storm continues to drench the Midlands

Wednesday evening, state inspects dams

The South Carolina Department of Environmental Services Wednesday released the names of 19 potentially shaky dams it raised questions about, including about a half dozen in the Columbia area, as Tropical Storm Debby moved through South Carolina.

Dams of concern identified by the DES include structures at Richland County’s Adams Pond, which was checked because of spillway damage; Lexington County’s Batesburg Reservoir, checked for insufficient spillway capacity; Lexington County’s Whisper Lake, checked for voids; and Calhoun County’s Derrenbacher and Paradise ponds, checked for slope stability and insufficient spillway capacity.

The agency also looked at two Kershaw County dams: the Upper Sunnyhill Dam, where inspections were done for spillway damage, and the Hermitage Mill Pond dam, checked for excessive seepage. Dams of concern also were examined in parts of eastern South Carolina’s Pee Dee region, as well as in Orangeburg, Aiken and nearby counties south and west of Columbia.

Officials said their initial worries have been mollified and they have not found “heightened safety concerns’’ at the dams. But the department will continue to monitor the dams. The structures were checked because they were in areas expected to receive at least six inches of rain and had known issues before Debby’s arrival.

State examined 19 potentially shaky dams as storm approached SC. Here’s where they are

Wednesday

Debby lingered over the Charleston coast Wednesday, but the state still felt impacts from the storm. Schools across Richland and Lexington counties opted to cancel classes Thursday or hold e-learning days in preparation for the storm’s second landfall. Trees were downed in Richland County. Sewers overflowed. And Gov. Henry McMaster warned residents the storm was “not nearly over.”

Read all the news from yesterday here.

Reporters for The State Noah Feit, Sammy Fretwell, Chris Trainor and Javon Harris contributed to this report