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Storms batter the South as a hurricane recedes

Flooding fueled by several days of heavy rain and an unsually high tide on Saturday swamped an intersection in the historic Battery harborfront section of Charleston, S.C.Chuck Burton/Associated Press

CHARLESTON, S.C. — Pounded by heavy rain and an unusually high tide, this historic port city was paralyzed by flash floods Saturday, its elegant streets transformed into coursing riverways, its residents plucked from waterlogged cars, and its officials sealing off the low-lying peninsula in the heart of the city, declaring it “substantially under water in various parts.”

Police Chief Gregory G. Mullen made that declaration during a late-morning news conference with Mayor Joseph P. Riley Jr. Rain had soaked this city of 130,000 for days, and the men warned of more to come Saturday, along with an afternoon high tide that was expected to be 2 feet higher than normal.

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By midafternoon, however, the floodwaters appeared to be causing more inconvenience than tragedy. Some but not all of the streets on the peninsula were flooded; many businesses were closed, numerous fairs and festivals were canceled, and there were reports of water breaching some homes.

Still, residents were urged to stay at home and warned that parts of the low-lying city that normally do not flood might do so. Boats and rescue teams were standing by to whisk away any residents who feared their houses might be inundated, Mullen said.

“This is a very dangerous situation, and we want to ensure that everyone remains safe,” he said.

By Saturday afternoon, the White House said President Obama had declared an emergency in South Carolina. With the decision, the administration said, Obama “ordered federal aid to supplement state and local response efforts in the areas affected by severe storms and flooding.”

The powerful low-pressure system creeping slowly across the region was causing havoc beyond Charleston, with the National Weather Service describing a “significant flooding event” developing in southern South Carolina.

Officials reported power failures in tens of thousands of homes along the coast, as well as two weather-related deaths last week.

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Some of the moisture from the storm system was being fed by Hurricane Joaquin, which was upgraded to a Category 4 storm. Its 155 mile-per-hour winds continued to spin eastward over the Atlantic, more than 500 miles southwest of Bermuda, where a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch were in effect.

The hurricane had already left a trail of devastation and uncertainty. In the Bahamas, which suffered days with pelting rain and harsh winds, emergency management officials reported impassable roads, downed power lines, destroyed homes, and scores of people in shelters.

Beyond South Carolina, there were episodes of less severe flooding. As high tide approached at the waterside in Norfolk, Va., on Saturday afternoon, the walkway to a ferry was impeded by ankle-deep water.

A 31-year-old woman complained that she would likely have to take a bus to nearby Portsmouth, and customers at a nearby hotel watched the waters slowly rise.

Emergency declarations were in effect in parts of Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia. National Guard troops were on alert in some parts of the country. The National Weather Service issued coastal flood warnings, and said seashore communities were at risk for major flooding, especially at high tide.

Still, there were indications that the threat was easing in some areas; in North Carolina, for instance, the Hyde County authorities lifted a mandatory evacuation order for Ocracoke Island.

Weather officials said that some cities in South Carolina had received more than 10 inches of rain since Thursday, and that forecasters did not expect the storm to relent until Sunday, at the earliest.

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