Tropical Storm Michael Uproots Trees In SC; Leaves 74K In Dark

CHARLESTON, SC — After walloping Florida, Georgia and Alabama, Tropical Storm Michael swept through South Carolina on Thursday morning with strong winds and heavy rains, toppling trees and downing power lines along the way. Residents and business owners had braced for heavy rain — and even tornadoes — from the weakened storm. More than 40 counties were under a tornado watch overnight, and while no tornadoes were seen, several neighborhoods in the Midlands flooded early Thursday.

Two neighborhoods in Lexington County flooded when stormwater drains failed due to the rapid rainfall, a county spokesman told the Post and Courier. Floodwaters receded within an hour, the newspaper reported. Photos posted on social media showed peoples' yards drenched in several inches of water, as well as massive trees uprooted. Video showed water gushing out of Kinley Creek.

@NWSColumbia here’s the photos of the ongoing flooding occurring along Kinley Creek in the Whitehall Subdivision in Irmo. Photos courtesy of @IrmoFire . Thanks for the help guys! (1/3) pic.twitter.com/T9ZFjMl9g2
— Chris Jackson (@ChrisJacksonSC) October 11, 2018

More photos from Whitehall in Irmo. #caewx (2/3) pic.twitter.com/90ASc292Y3
— Chris Jackson (@ChrisJacksonSC) October 11, 2018

In Columbia, a large oak tree reportedly smashed through the roof of a home, trapping and injuring one man.

The storm, which made landfall on the Florida Panhandle on Wednesday afternoon as a Category 4 storm, smashed into northern Florida and was expected to dump up to 7 inches of rain Thursday on the Carolinas. Around 11 a.m. Thursday, Michael was centered inland about 35 miles south of Charlotte, North Carolina. Central and eastern South Carolina were experiencing tropical storm conditions.

More than 74,000 people across the state were without power around 1:30 p.m. Thursday, mostly in the central part of the state. A tornado warning was issued for Columbia and surrounding communities overnight, but it doesn't appear a twister touched the ground.

Gov. Henry McMaster extended a statewide state of emergency declaration that was issued prior to the devastating Hurricane Florence. The new order allows resources to be used for repair and recovery efforts for Michael.

Cooler and drier conditions are expected Friday and Saturday.

The storm left a path of destruction and devastation in Florida, where residents said it looked like an atomic bomb had detonated over their towns.Terrifying 155 mph winds split apart homes, peeled roofs from buildings, blew out walls, toppled trees and downed power lines. Video showed homes nearly engulfed by storm surge near the coastline.

On Thursday, residents in the northern part of the state began picking up the pieces, assessing what will likely be billions of dollars in damage. Debris, including crushed cars, mangled trees and dangerous power lines, littered sidewalks and roads in the Panhandle, along with displaced refrigerators, chairs, washing machines, kayaks and dressers.

The storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands and it could take more than a week to restore electricity to some areas. Two people were killed and at least one tornado touched down near Jacksonville.

Lead Photo credit: Mark Wallheiser/Getty Images

All other photos courtesy of the National Hurricane Center