A ’1-in-1,000 year’ storm just caused record-setting flash floods in parts of Columbia
Shortly after the flash flood waters began receding in Columbia’s Five Points neighborhood Monday night, Anna Luu and half a dozen others descended with brooms and squeegees upon the nail salon Luu owns at the corner of Blossom Street and Santee Avenue.
With bare feet and pant legs rolled to their knees, the group spent the next two hours pushing water out of the salon’s front doors, where it had come in through during what city officials are calling a 1-in-1,000-year rain event.
Luu arrived at her business, SC Nails @ Blossom, at about 7:30 p.m. on July 4 to assess the damage from flash flooding across the city. Less than an hour prior, Blossom Street had been at least half a foot under water.
So strong was the current and so deep the water, an 8-foot wide dumpster floated halfway down the street in the midst of the storm, landing in a parking lot at least two blocks away.
Monday night’s storm is being classified as a once in 1,000 year event in at least parts of Columbia for the amount of rain that fell in a 15-minute and 30-minute period, according to rain gauges in the city.
More than 4 inches of rain fell within the span of one hour Monday night, according to the National Weather Service. That was enough to set new records in parts of Columbia, said Clint Shealy, an assistant city manager and overseer of public works and city utilities.
The amount of rainfall recorded at Maxcy Gregg Park was enough to be classified as a 1,000-year-storm. That park was largely underwater Monday night.
Less than a mile away at the city’s Martin Luther King Jr. Park, enough rain fell for a once-in-500-year event, Shealy said.
Both the Olympia neighborhood and Martin Luther King Jr. Park saw record-setting water elevation levels.
More rain is predicted for this week, and forecasters say heavy rain is again possible Wednesday and Thursday.
“Our main work really starts after the waters recede,” Shealy said.
That work includes assessing the roadways for damage, removing rocks, sand and other debris from the streets and ensuring storm drains are clear for the likely rain later this week.
City workers weren’t the only people spending Tuesday assessing the damage from Monday’s storm.
Soaked floor mats left out to dry littered the sidewalks in Five Points Tuesday morning. Mop buckets and fans were scattered through storefronts. For many businesses in the area, this is part of a routine every time heavy rain comes to town.
In Luu’s nail salon, every piece of wooden furniture is on a platform made from wheels or two-by-fours. Luu added the platforms after her first year in business. She’s now been in her location for a decade and still has to replace much of her furniture every few years due to water damage.
When the flooding is particularly bad, she can’t even open her front doors, otherwise she’d let waves of water in. There have at times been customers stuck inside until the water receded enough for Luu to open the front doors again.
“When there’s heavy, quick rain, we flood,” she said. It’s become an inevitable part of her life.
Several years ago, the city completed a $1 million project at MLK Park meant to reduce flooding in the area. The work created a storm-water retention area to hold rainwater and to channel it through Five Points when flooding does occur.
Shealy said the city has seen significant improvements to the amount of flooding in Five Points since finishing that project, “but not during 1,000-year storm events.”
“There’s certain levels of events you just can’t design (for),” he said.
Before the next storm comes, city workers will try to clear storm drains and shore up barriers meant to limit the chance of flooding.
Shealy said the public can help with those efforts by clearing debris from the storm drains near their homes, and by leaving yard debris off of sidewalk curbs.
Residents driving through high water is also a concern. Shealy stressed to motorists the need to avoid standing water in roadways, particularly when a barrier has been set up to block the road to motorists.
In addition to Five Points, parts of Whaley Street and the Olympia neighborhood are prone to flash flooding. Motorists should avoid these areas during heavy rain.
Patrick McCreless contributed to this report.
This story was originally published July 5, 2022 at 1:43 PM.
