Iran Press/ America: Idalia weakened to a tropical storm Wednesday evening as it dumped heavy rain, unleashed strong winds and knocked out power in parts of southern Georgia and the Carolinas, just hours after pummeling Florida’s west coast and inundating communities there with floodwater.
As the storm moved through South Carolina Wednesday night, the water level at the Charleston Harbor was higher than 9 feet, the National Weather Service said – making it the fifth highest water level ever recorded and only slightly lower than levels reached during Hurricane Matthew in 2016 and Hurricane Irma in 2017, CNN reported.
“Major coastal inundation being reported at Edisto Beach and Downtown Charleston,” the weather service said. “Water has breached the Charleston Battery. Dunes are breached at Edisto with water flowing under homes and onto roadways.”
Some roads were closed due to flooding, Charleston police said, and access to some areas was limited.
“Trees are down. Roads are flooded,” the Charleston County Sheriff’s Office said. “If you encounter street flooding, turn around.”
In Florida’s Crystal River, the waters that began receding after the storm passed revealed a “catastrophic event,” city council member Ken Frink told CNN Wednesday afternoon.
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