South Carolina Flooding: Overcreek Dam Fails in Columbia, Forcing Residents to Flee; State's Death Toll Rises to 14

Residents near one Columbia, South Carolina, lake were told to flee Monday afternoon, as a dam was about to break, potentially putting thousands in the path of millions of gallons of water.

Those new evacuation orders were issued after concern that the Overcreek dam at Forest Acres could breach. Minutes later, the dam broke, becoming the 18th dam to breach or fail in the Palmetto State since Saturday.

“I believe that things will get worse before they get better,” Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said Monday. “Eventually the floods will abate, but then we have to access the damage, and I anticipate that damage will probably be in the billions of dollars, and we’re going to have to work to rebuild. Some peoples’ lives as they know them will never be the same.”

Although the bulk of the rain has ended, high waters are still a very dangerous reality after the historic flood event in South Carolina. Rescue crews went door to door in South Carolina's capital city of Columbia as officials continued to free residents that were trapped by severe flooding that swamped virtually the entire state.

"We ask that people stay home. They don't need to be out in this," said Don Miller, Myrtle Beach Police Department spokesperson, in an interview with The Weather Channel.

(INTERACTIVE: Columbia Report and Recover Map)

At least 14 people have died from the floods in South Carolina since the rain began to fall days ago. In the wake of the disastrous flooding event, President Barack Obama signed a disaster declaration for the state of South Carolina, ordering federal aid to supplement state, tribal and local recovery efforts.

Obama's action makes federal funding available to affected parties in Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown, Horry, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland and Williamsburg counties. Forms of assistance included are grants for temporary housing and home repairs, low-cost loans for uninsured property losses and other programs to help individuals and business owners recover.

The rain event has set records all over the state, flooding entire towns. For some locations, this historic rainfall qualifies as a 1,000-year rain event, meaning in a given year there is a 1 in 1,000 chance of observing rainfall totals of this magnitude.

"The flooding is unprecedented and historical," said Dr. Marshall Shepherd, a meteorologist and director of the atmospheric sciences program at the University of Georgia, in an email to The Associated Press.

(INTERACTIVE: Charleston Report and Recover Map)

The University of South Carolina announced Tuesday classes will be canceled for the rest of the week due to the floods. A football game between USC and Louisiana State University is scheduled to be played in Columbia on Saturday, but members of both football programs are discussing alternate locations to play the game.

Parts of Columbia, including the USC campus, lost water service, and plans were being made to deliver bottled water and portable restrooms to the students Monday morning.

As a result, officials are begging residents from other areas to donate water for Columbia residents who lack running water. Collections have been set up all over the state for citizens to bring extra bottled water that will be delivered to the Midlands, according to the AP.

Swift-water rescue teams plucked hundreds of residents from stranded cars and flooded homes all over the state.

Officials say it may take weeks or months to assess all of the closed roads and bridges. A 75-mile stretch of I-95, the freeway that connects Miami to Washington, D.C. to New York, remains closed Tuesday morning.

Hundreds of roads will remain shut down across the state Tuesday; the South Carolina Department of Transportation has a full list here.

(MORE: How You Can Help the Victims)

Multiple dam breaches were reported Sunday morning in Columbia, according to the city's fire department. On its Twitter page, the department said Arcadia Lake, Forest Lake and Lake Dogwood have been affected by the breaches, and if residents are in a dry place, they should remain there.

The city of Columbia, which reported a new 24-hour record rainfall – 7.77 inches between 11 a.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. Sunday – was placed under a mandatory curfew Sunday night into Monday morning.

There have also been reports of looting in Columbia, where some evacuated residents said they returned to find possessions missing from their homes, WACH.com reported.

"Overnight we had a break-in, so whatever was upstairs they came in and took. TV's, jewelry, everything," Willow Creek Apartments resident Pamela Courts told WACH.com.

(MORE: Coastline Battered by Flooding, High Tides)

Emergency vehicles struggled to navigate the flooded roadways, and in many instances, they were only able to reach victims by boat. In Berkeley County, the U.S. Coast Guard assisted in water rescues, according to WCSC-TV, as more than one family needed to be removed from their homes. Authorities also requested helicopters to aid in rescues because the number of people needing help outnumbered the vehicles that could reach them.

On Sunday, a Coast Guard crew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter rescued Cristi Mueller and her 15-month-old daughter from the roof of their home in Huger. The mother and daughter were stranded after heavy rain and flooding overtook the house, forcing them onto the roof to escape the water. They were hoisted and taken to Mt. Pleasant Regional Airport and are in good condition with no injuries.

Nearly 30,000 customers lost power at the height of the storms. By Tuesday morning, less than 1,000 homes remained without power.

During the event, flooding was also reported in the Myrtle Beach area. According to local reports, vehicles were getting stranded on flood-covered, impassable roads, and some neighborhood roads were also flooded. City Manager John Pederson was authorized by Mayor John Rhodes to declare a state of emergency for Myrtle Beach. Residents are being encouraged to stay inside and, if driving is absolutely necessary, not to attempt driving through standing water.

Gov. Haley declared a state of emergency Thursday evening in advance of any potential impacts from flooding. President Obama also declared a state of emergency and ordered federal aid to help the recovery in South Carolina.

"This is different than a hurricane because it is water, it is slow moving and it is sitting. We can't just move the water out," said Haley at a news conference.