"UNBELIEVEABLE" Flooding going on in downtown as Irma pounds Charleston, coastal South Carolina - Blogger Gresik

Hot News - International. After its deadly march through the Caribbean and Florida, Irma pounded South Carolina with tropical storm force winds Monday, spawning tornados and a record-breaking tidal surge that put vast swaths of the Lowcountry under water.

Worse than Hurricane Matthew's surge last year, Irma generated a 9.9-foot tide, third highest on record. The surge put White Point Garden under water and sent water coursing through downtown Charleston's historic neighborhoods. Residents could be seen wading through hip-deep water; a john boat with four people aboard cruised down South Battery. Flooding was so severe that police in Charleston told people to avoid downtown until floodwaters recede.

Surging waters also poured over dunes on Edisto Beach and the state's other barrier islands. Waves picked up the famed "Folly Boat," a frequently painted boat that earlier today had been on high ground off Folly Road. It ended up next to a dock off Sol Legare Road. Folly residents reported that it had the words "this too shall pass" painted on it.

High winds downed trees and powerlines across the region. At 4 p.m., about 256,000 customers across South Carolina were without power. Meantime, pounding waves tore through docks on James Island and Mount Pleasant. During the worst of the flood, the parking lots on both sides of Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant were underwater, swamping some cars whose owners had the bad luck to park there.

"I've never seen anything like it," Town Administrator Eric DeMoura said.

At 3 p.m., Irma's center spun toward the Florida-Georgia border, about 200 miles southwest of Charleston. Downgraded to a tropical storm, its massive bands still stretched 415 miles from its core, the National Hurricane Center said. And its degraded winds still generated powerful gusts: more than 58 mph at the north end of Folly Beach, 42 mph in downtown Charleston, 43 mph in Walterboro. A 49-mph gust was recorded at the Charleston International Airport, where nearly all flights were canceled. A Tornado watch from Georgia to Georgetown was in effect until 10 p.m.

Flooding going on in downtown as Irma pounds Charleston

As the bands came through, a water spout created a dramatic white-and-gray funnel off the Isle of Palms, and a tornado warning was issued on Edisto Beach. At 12:37 p.m., a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado was spotted on radar near Fort Sumter. Moments later, a possible tornado was reported on Johns Island. Forecasters urged residents to take cover immediately, but it wasn't clear whether funnel clouds formed.

With winds so high, Charleston County suspended its emergency ambulance service because of the tempest's fury. Irma's bands also brought heavy rain, and forecasters expect as much as 8 inches in some areas by the time Irma spins away. In the driving wind, raindrops felt like needles on the bridge over Shem Creek in Mount Pleasant. And on nearby Pitt Street, Ann Kilpatrick did her best to shift debris away from her property with a rake.

"It calms my nervousness," she said.

Standing in about two feet of water, she said she was expecting flooding at her home to be worse than it was when Matthew came. Water reached the second step of her porch when Matthew came; by noon Monday, her first step was already underwater.

Source:www.postandcourier.com