COLUMBIA, S.C. - The remnants of Hurricane Ivan brought steady rains, strong winds and spun off some tornadoes as the eastern edge of the storm brushed by South Carolina.

About 50 people in Oconee County had to be ferried out Friday after rising water washed over a road which was the only way to reach their homes.

The storm, which made landfall on Alabama's gulf coast early Thursday, brought wind gusts of near-hurricane strength that toppled trees and caused scattered power outages in the Upstate.

At least 23,000 people had lost power by Friday morning as winds of more than 90 miles an hour blew through the state's Piedmont region, Duke Power Co. spokesman Tom Williams said.

The company moved crews from eastern North Carolina and Florida to handle the damage. The "good news is on the water levels," Williams said. The utility had prepared for Ivan to dump as much rain as Hurricane Frances, which recently drenched Florida and other southern states and caused extensive flooding. "It looks like it would be somewhat less than that," Williams said.

First Lady Laura Bush was scheduled to speak at a fund-raiser for Republican Senate candidate Jim DeMint at noon Friday, but the meeting hall was without power as of 10:30 a.m. and officials couldn't say whether the event would go on.

Residents who live along the Tugalo River upstream from Lake Hartwell were ferried out after rising waters cut off their homes, said county emergency management director Henry Gordon.

There were reports of several tornadoes in Oconee County on Thursday night.

"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 Hurricane 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 not good 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 is 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. "It is harder for us to handle these long stretches of bad weather that are totally inconsistent with what we are used to."