Ivan brings wind,
rain, rising streams, power outages
Associated
Press
COLUMBIA, S.C. - The remnants of Hurricane
Ivan brought steady rains, strong winds and tornadoes to South
Carolina, flooding roads and cutting power to tens of thousands.
Searchers were looking Friday for people who may have been
isolated when water covered a road along the Tugaloo River upstream
of Lake Hartwell in Oconee County, authorities said.
Rescuers were told about 50 people lived in the area and were
using a helicopter to determine whether any were stranded. One
person was brought out by a helicopter, said Jeff Dover of Oconee
County's swift water rescue squad.
Initially, authorities said 50 people were ferried out, but
nobody had been brought out by boat because of the swift currents
and authorities felt it was safer to use the helicopter, Dover
said.
Ivan, which made landfall on Alabama's gulf coast early Thursday,
brought wind gusts of near-hurricane strength that toppled trees and
caused widespread power outages.
More than 28,000 electric customers were without power Friday
afternoon.
Winds of more than 90 miles an hour blew through the Upstate at
the height of the storm, said Duke Power Co. spokesman Tom Williams.
Blue Ridge Electric Cooperative said more than 14,000 of its
customers lost power when a tornado hit a substation.
Williams said Duke had prepared for Ivan to dump as much rain as
Hurricane Frances into its lakes. "It looks like it would be
somewhat less than that," he said.
The storm cut electricity in the building where first lady Laura
Bush was scheduled to speak at a fund-raiser for Republican Senate
candidate Jim DeMint. Power was restored before Bush arrived, so the
luncheon began late.
There were reports of several tornadoes in Oconee County, said
county emergency management director Henry Gordon.
"We haven't had a chance to assess the damage. There are a number
of power outages and a number of trees down and some houses
damaged," Gordon said. "There were no injuries, which is good."
Officials estimated at least 10 tornadoes touched down, breaking
at least two gas lines.
A tornado approached the Wal-Mart Supercenter in Seneca about
6:30 p.m. Thursday, and store workers moved 150 customers to the
center of the store, manager Lee Jolly said.
Most of the customers were buying storm supplies such as
flashlights and bottled water.
In Chester County, blustery winds early Friday caused two
tractor-trailers to flip on their sides near the village of
Cornwall.
While the Upstate dealt with Ivan, things looked a bit brighter
for coastal residents eyeing Tropical Storm Jeanne in the
Caribbean.
On Thursday, the long-range forecast brought Jeanne to near the
South Carolina coast next week. On Friday, the forecast indicated it
might stay farther south and move into Florida, if the system even
survived after lingering over the Dominican Republic.
"Historically, not many tropical cyclones survive the path across
the high terrain of Hispaniola," according to an advisory from the
National Hurricane Center, which added that coastal residents from
Florida to the Carolinas should monitor Jeanne just in case.
"We have a plan. Everybody knows the job they have to do," said
Charleston city spokeswoman Barbara Vaughn. "If this thing gets
close, we go into action."
If Jeanne were to make landfall it would be the first time in at
least 150 years three tropical systems made landfall in South
Carolina in the same season. Hurricane Charley and Tropical Storm
Gaston both spun into northern Charleston County earlier this
season.
The rainfall from Ivan, coming after the remnants of Frances
soaked the Upstate, was expected to fill lakes and ponds.
The state has about 2,300 earthen dams and none appeared in
imminent danger of collapsing, said Steve Bradley, dam safety
hydrologist for the state Department of Health and Environmental
Control.
He said the state only inspects about 600 of the dams, those that
could result in property damage or fatalities if they break.
Continuing rain and wind was bad news for farmers, said Greg
Harvey, the Clemson University extension agent for Sumter
County.
"I think cotton is our biggest concern right now. We have a lot
of cotton that has opened up." he said. "When the lint is exposed to
the elements, then the quality is going to deteriorate."
The weeks of dreary weather also was taking a psychological toll
on some coastal residents.
"We are used to going to the beach. We are used to the sun
shining. Part of our geographical identity is sunny paradise," said
professor Steve Nida, head of the psychology department at The
Citadel in Charleston. "It is harder for us to handle these long
stretches of bad weather that are totally inconsistent with what we
are used
to." |