THE LATEST: Some Wildewood residents urged to evacuate

UPDATE: 12:20 a.m.

Gills Creek remained above flood stage at midnight Tuesday night but the water levels were dropping steadily, according to the National Weather Service.

Flood stage for Gills Creek is 6.7 feet and the water level at midnight was measured at 7.24 feet and dropping.

The Congaree River at Columbia fell below its flood stage of 19 feet around 7 p.m. Tuesday and was expected to continue falling through Saturday. At Carolina Eastman, south of Columbia, the Congaree was still nearly 9 feet over flood stage at 9:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Update 11 p.m.

State officials were again urging some residents of the Wildewood neighborhood to consider evacuating their homes after efforts Tuesday night to prevent a dam from breaking were proving unsuccessful.

After speaking with state environmental agency officials, Sen. Joel Lourie, D-Richland, said it "looks more imminent'' that the Beaver Creek dam would fail at some point. Crews had been working furiously to relieve pressure on the dam so that it would not break. State officials began warning people about the danger earlier this week.

"The attempts to mitigate some of these damages to the dam appear to be failing,'' Lourie said after speaking with knowledgeable sources at the S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control.

At least six dams have broken in Richland County in the wake of historic rains and flooding that virtually paralyzed the Columbia area over the weekend and early this week. The earthen dams have been overwhelmed and eroded by high, swift-moving water. Hundreds of residents have had to evacuate their homes.

Lourie said efforts were underway late Tuesday night to send reverse 911 calls to residents of the Wildewood area, warning them of the pending danger.

Lourie said that "I'm very worried about this Beaver Creek dam. There is a high sense of urgency and we need to notify people.''

Robert McCullough, a spokesman for the S.C. Department of Natural Resources, also noted the danger from the dam. He said it had not failed as of about 10:30 p.m., but officials were worried that it would break.

The dam is in the area of Wildewood, one of northeast Richland County's most well-known and established communities. The area covers about 1,600 acres and includes a golf course and country clubs, in addition to hundreds of homes. Development began in the early 1970s. The area is off Two Notch Road.

Update: 9:48 p.m.

Some residents of Wildewood were urged to evacuate late Tuesday after state officials determined that the “dam on Beaver Dam Road is in danger of failing.”

Update 8:30 p.m.

Richland County authorities are urging residents downstream of the Beaver Creek Dam to stay away a little longer.

Although an evacuation is not mandatory, residents (from Wildwood south to Forest Acres) are urged to go to a shelter because of concerns that Beaver Creek Dam may not hold, sheriff’s department spokesman Curtis Wilson said Tuesday night.

Earlier, the Columbia Police Department announced that joint patrols would be in the flooded areas of the Gills Creek watershed overnight to keep an eye on property and people’s safety.

Update 7:30 p.m.

Flooded neighborhoods will be getting special law enforcement attention from 9 p.m. until sunrise Wednesday, the Columbia Police Department said in a news release.

Local and state law enforcement have organized a “safety and security operation’ in flooded neighbors in the Gills Creek watershed to keep the roads safe for residents returning home and to protect property while residents remain in shelters.

Update 6:55 p.m.

Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott says more than 200 people have been rescued in Richland County since heavy rains caused a historic flood in Columbia.

Those search and rescue efforts will resume Wednesday and will continue until the entire county has been covered, he said at a news conference Tuesday evening.

Search crews have not been able to reach some rural areas of lower Richland County, hit hard from the flood.

Those areas will need to be accessed by boat, Lott said, adding that aircraft are spotting for ground crews.

Lott said there are "less than 10" reports of missing people they are looking for, not necessarily related to the storm, he said.

A curfew is under effect in Richland County from midnight to 6 a.m.

Lott said residents in need of food, water and shelter will find help at various locations across the county.

But he urged residents not to travel if possible, saying "nosy people" are causing problems.

"We still have too many people out here who are just wanting to be spectators and go out and see the the damage," he said. "We are having roads that are continuing to fall in ... (and) bridges that are still unstable."

There are no evacuations underway for any part of the county, he said, adding residents are returning to their homes to assess the damage.

In Lexington County, there have been 167 water rescues, a spokesman with the Lexington Sheriff's Office said.

Update 6:50 p.m.

Richland County government offices will open for business Wednesday, the county announced. If you can get to work safely, you should report at your normal time, the county said.

Richland County Council approved a $1.5M contract to hire a disaster recovery contractor, Ashbritt.

The Deerfield Beach, Florida based company , approved be FEMA, is also contracted to work in Charleston, Georgetown, and Sumter Counties.

“Small local businesses will be engaged in this contract,” Richland County officials said in their news release.

Update: 5:28 p.m.

A sixth dam burst in Richland County at Lake Elizabeth on Hard Scrabble Road near Wilson Boulevard in North East Richland.

The Lake Elizabeth dam is the 11th to breach in the Midlands since the storm drenched the region over the weekend. Three dams have burst in Lexington County.

Andy Shain

Update 4:55 p.m.

Kershaw County, past the worst of the flooding there, announced its county government is returning to normal operations and all county offices are open for business.

The Red Cross Center at Camden High School is now closed and all Kershaw County recycling centers are now open, the Kershaw County Department of Safety and Emergency Services said in a news release.

The coordinator of the county’s emergency response, Christy Denkins, stressed that caution is still required.

Thirty-six roads and 7 bridges remain closed because of damage. And boil water advisories remain in effect in Fredericksburg and Hollow Tree Court.

Citizens who want to report damage should call 803-425-7242

Update: 3 p.m.

Law Enforcement will be re-routing traffic in both directions on Garners Ferry Road starting at 3:30 p.m. after a tractor trailer overturned in the roadway.

Motorists are urged to find alternate routes if traveling in the area.

Update: 2:30 p.m.

South Carolina Department of Transportation officials said they have reopened the section of I-26 between I-126 and U.S. 378 at the Saluda River. All of I-26 in South Carolina is now open.

Officials said the 74-mile section of I-95 from I-26 to I-20 remains closed at this time.

SCDOT workers are continuing to monitor Columbia-area bridges.

Update: 2 p.m.

City of Columbia officials have announced three additional water distribution sites around the city.

The water distribution sites and hours of operations are listed below:

▪  Dutch Square, 421 Bush River Road (3:30 - 6:30 p.m.)

▪  Midlands Shopping Center, 2638 Two Notch Road (3:30 - 6:30 p.m.)

▪  Former Sam’s Club parking lot, 1401 Sunset Blvd. (3:30 - 6:30 p.m.)

▪  Walmart, 5424 Forest Dr. (Now - 6:30 p.m.)

Each site will be staffed by National Guard soldiers who will hand out bottled water. There will be a limited number of bottles per person.

For more information about available drinking water click here.

Update: 1:45 p.m.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office has released the identity of the victim who was pulled from Carys Lake near Trenholm Road Tuesday Morning.

Coroner Gary Watts said 30-year-old Sampson Antwan Pringle, of Columbia, was found dead at 10:40 a.m. at 6838 Trenholm Rd.

The other six victims include:

▪  Alexandria Maret Holmes, 24, was found at 1:10 p.m. Sunday at 1400 Sunset Drive in Columbia

▪  Timothy Gibson, 45, was found at 6:42 p.m. Sunday on Garners Ferry Road near Eastover

▪  Robert McCarty, 78, was found at 10:25 p.m. Sunday at 4400 Devine St. in Columbia

▪  Melissa Lee Hall, 35, was found at 3:30 a.m. Monday at Shady Lane and Kilbourne Road in Columbia

▪  Robert Edens Allawos, 60, was found 7:15 a.m. Monday at Caughman and Teague roads in Columbia

▪  Richard Nelson Milroy, 82, was found 10:18 p.m. Monday at Peeples Street near Monticello Road in Columbia

Update: 1:30 p.m.

Richland County Coroner Gary Watts said all seven people who have been killed as a result of the flooding in Columbia were vehicle-related drownings.

Watts said the seventh victim, who was pulled from Carys Lake near the 6800 block of Trenholm Road, was in a vehicle when they got out after being unable to drive any farther. The victim was then swept away.

Six other victims were pulled from vehicles that had been swept away in the flooding Sunday and Monday, Watts said in earlier reports.

Watts has not yet identified the seventh victim.

Update: 1 p.m.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation has issued an updated road closures map. Drivers are urged to find alternate routes around barricaded roads instead of trying to drive through them.

SCDOT road closures update: 12 p.m.

Update: 12:15 p.m.

University of South Carolina President Harris Pastides has canceled classes for the Columbia campus for the remainder of the week.

Update: 11:30 a.m.

The Richland County Coroner’s Office has identified the victim who died as a result of heavy flooding in the Columbia area on Monday night.

Coroner Gary Watts said 82-year-old Richard Nelson Milroy, of Columbia, was found dead in his vehicle in the 1200 block of Peeples Street off Monticello Road.

Update: 11 a.m.

The body of a man was retrieved from Carys Lake near 6800 block of Trenholm Road Tuesday morning, said Richland County Sheriff’s Department spokesman Lt. Curtis Wilson.

The body was retrieved by sheriff’s deputies and Columbia firefighters, he said. No other information was available.

The located where the body was retrieved is several blocks south of Dent Middle School and Decker Boulevard.

Matt MacGillivray said his wife saw a body in the Carys Lake behind their Trenholm Road home and called 911. He said he did not know if the person found was a man or a woman.

The body was found near a lakefront in MacGillivray’s backyard.

“We were really glad to see the sun come out today, but to see another fatality is really sad,” MacGillivray said.

Update: 10: 45 a.m.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation has issued an updated road closures map. Drivers are urged to find alternate routes around barricaded roads instead of trying to drive through them.

SCDOT road closures update: 10 a.m.

Update: 10:30 a.m.

A boil water advisory has been issued for the city of Batesburg-Leesville, city officials said.

Town Manager Ted Luckadoo said the advisory is a precautionary measure after recent rainfall may have contaminated drinking water.

Water customers are advised to boil their water for one full minute prior to drinking and cooking.

Update: 9:45 a.m.

The Richland County Sheriff’s Department has rescinded the information previously released suggesting the Upper Windsor Dam failed. Residents in the area are not required to evacuate.

Update: 9 a.m.

Richland County officials announced the Upper Windsor Dam has failed. Those near the following areas need to seek higher ground immediately:

▪  Loch Lane

▪  Wellington Road

▪  Castledale Road

▪  Hunt Club Road

▪  Fox Borrow Road

▪  Oneil Court

▪  Bagpipe Road

▪  Welch Street

▪  Yorkhouse Road

▪  Angel Garden Way

Anyone in the area that can make their way to A.C. Flora High School should do so immediately.

Update: 8:30 a.m.

Lexington County officials are starting to look at how to repair a sinkhole on an road near the Amazon distribution center south of Cayce.

The sinkhole was discovered after a vehicle drove into it late Monday when the driver ignored barricades across the flooded road and got stuck in it, County Administrator Joe Mergo said. The motorist was not injured.

The road is about a mile south of I-77 in an industrial area developed by the county. Amazon and Nephron Pharmaceuticals are the main occupants.

Update: 8 a.m.

No rain showers are in the forecast for Columbia area residents after days of rains and flooding across the state.

“Finally, today is going to be dry,” National Weather Service meteorologist Mike Proud said Tuesday morning.

The highest rainfall in Richland County was an estimated 20.86 inches of rain near Forest Acres counted through 8 a.m. on Monday.

Still, Midlands area residents should be cautious because flooding is still possible.

“It’s still going to take time for all the water to work through the rivers,” Proud said, adding dams and ponds may rupture.

Update: 7 a.m.

With many throughout Richland County waking up without water Tuesday, Columbia city officials have set up several water distribution centers until the drinking water emergency is over.

The following centers are scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Tuesday and remain open until 6:30 p.m.:

▪  1101 Lincoln St. (Columbia Metropolitan Convention Center)

▪  5420 Forest Drive (Walmart parking lot)

▪  2615 Lower Richland Blvd. (Lower Richland High School)

Others to be opened in coming days at Midland, Landmark and Dutch Square shopping centers.

National Guard officers will help with the distributions.

Update: 6:30 a.m.

There are just more than 500 people in Lexington and Richland counties still without power Tuesday morning, but that number is significantly lower than the thousands that were reported to not have power in the counties Sunday and Monday, according to a South Carolina Electric & Gas power outage map.

Thousands were left without power and running water after historic rains and flooding ravaged the state Sunday and Monday.

The South Carolina Department of Transportation is also reporting that there are still 328 roads and 160 bridges throughout the state that are still closed to travel, with 38 roads in Lexington County and 110 in Richland County still closed.

Nine dams throughout the Midlands closely breached or failed completely, according to the S.C. Emergency Management Division. Eighteen dams have breached statewide.

Dams that breached or failed in the Midlands were:

Lexington County:

Old Mill Pond

Gibson Pond Dam

Barr Lake Dam

Lee County:

Clyburn Dam

Richland County:

Upper Rocky Creek/North Lake Dam

Carys Lake Dam

Semmes Lake Dam

Lower Rockyford Lake Dam

Aiken County

Corbett Lake

In addition, one dam ‑ Beaver Dam (Boyd's Pond No. 2/Wildwood Pond No. 2) ‑ in Richland County was intentionally breached to relieve pressure.

This story was originally published October 6, 2015 at 6:34 AM with the headline "THE LATEST: Some Wildewood residents urged to evacuate."