Columbia, South CarolinaThe Flood Of 1,000 Years

Flood Of 1,000 Years? Well…….

According to USGS gauges, most locations experienced a 25 to 50 year flood, with a couple of locations seeing what would be a 500 year flood.

The term “Flood of 1,000 years” really means that there is a 1 in 1,000 chance in any given year of a flood of this magnitude.

Factors At Play

1. Over one week of pretty consistent rain had the soil incredibly saturated which allowed for run-off.

2. Columbia is prone to flooding in many locations during a heavy rain due to poor infrastructure.

3. Upper level low over the gulf, stalled front off the coast, surface low just off the Hilton Head coast, and high pressure in Canada.

Structural Factors at Play

1. Some reports indicate that private dam owners were advised to lower water levels prior to storm hitting to avoid significant flooding.

2. The Old Mill Dam reportedly had work being done to it by a local business so they could change over to hydroelectric power. However, per reports, work was being done illegally and it`s suspected that this work compromised structure of the dam potentially guaranteeing it`s failure.

Main Areas Impacted

Columbia is located in the middle of Lexington County (Western) and Richland County (Eastern) . Eastern Midlands (Central South Carolina) was forecasted to see the most significant impact in the counties of Fairfield, Kershaw, Lee, Sumter, Clarendon, and Orangeburg.

Richland County (Columbia) was significantly hit during the early morning

hours of Sunday, October 4th, with rain rates as high as 2 inches per hour.

Many were sleeping when the water began to reach major flood levels and

started moving into homes.

Main Areas Impacted

Questions to Ask Ourselves

Was using terminology such as, “flood of biblical proportions,” or “The way Charleston looks during a heavy rain is how the entire state will look,”

something that not only created panic, but also made some turn a deaf ear towards the forecast? Did these comments make some find this comical?

Before and After- Gervais St. Bridge

Sources

• United States Geological Survey

• National Weather Service – Columbia, SC

Henry RothenbergWACH-TV