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Ongoing coverage of South Carolina's recovery from the flooding of 2015.What had been Lindsay Langdale's Columbia home October 3, 2015 was a flooded ruin the next day.This coverage is made possible by a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. In October of 2015, South Carolina received rainfall in unprecedented amounts over just a few days time. By the time the rain began to slacken, the National Weather Service reported that the event had dumped more than two feet of water on the state. The U.S. Geological Survey reported that the subsequent flooding was the worst in 75 years.

2017 Hurricane Season Looks to be Fairly Active

Hurricane Irene damaged the United States' east coast, including South Carolina. (August 27, 2011 at 10:10 am EDT)
Credit NASA/NOAA GOES Project, via Wikimedia Commons
Hurricane Irene damaged the United States' east coast, including South Carolina. (August 27, 2011 at 10:10 am EDT)

The National Hurricane Center has predicted between 11 and 17 named tropical storms for this year, with 5 to 9 becoming hurricanes and 2 to 4 becoming major hurricanes of category 3 or above.  Meteorologist Mark Malsick of the State Climatology Office says the main thing storms need to get bigger and stronger is warm, shallow water.  

Derrec Becker of the S.C. Emergency Management Division says preparation is the key to saving lives during a hurricane.  He says while the state’s evacuation plan in excellent, more people living along the coast than, say, when Hurricane Hugo came ashore in 1989 means a bigger population to move.  The roads are the same today as when Hugo hit, so he urges people to be proactive and not wait to be ordered to leave if they feel that conditions warrant their leaving their homes for higher ground.  Malsick reminds people in the Midlands and Upstate that they need to be prepared as well, if not for the high waves of a hurricane, then perhaps for high winds and heavy rains, and certainly they need to expect an influx of coastal residents seeking refuge from a storm.  Inland parts of the state could also experience power outages for which they need to be prepared.

Tut Underwood is producer of South Carolina Focus, a weekly news feature. A native of Alabama, Tut graduated from Auburn University with a BA in Speech Communication. He worked in radio in his hometown before moving to Columbia where he received a Master of Mass Communications degree from the University of South Carolina, and worked for local radio while pursuing his degree. He also worked in television. He was employed as a public information specialist for USC, and became Director of Public Information and Marketing for the South Carolina State Museum. His hobbies include reading, listening to music in a variety of styles and collecting movies and old time radio programs.