More rain, flooding forecast along soggy East Coast

CHARLESTON, S.C. -- While spared the full fury of Hurricane Joaquin, parts of the East Coast still saw record-setting rain Saturday that shut down roads and waterlogged crops.

Much of the drenching was centered in the Carolinas, but coastal communities as far away as New Jersey were feeling the effects of unrelenting rainfall. Rain and flood warnings remained in effect for many parts of the East Coast through today.

President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in South Carolina and ordered federal aid to help state and local efforts.

Downtown Charleston was closed to incoming traffic Saturday as rain flooded roads and left some motorists stranded as flood waters engulfed their cars. At least two bridges were washed out in other parts of the state.

"Where we normally are dealing with flooding for a few hours, we're dealing with it in days here," Charleston police chief Greg Mullen said.

Brothers Logan Froehler, 17, at left, and Lukas, 11, throw a football while kayaking in their backyard Saturday on the Isle of Palms, South Carolina. (Mic Smith ~ Associated Press)

Several shelters were opened in coastal counties while health officials warned people not to swim or play in the flood waters.

The Greenville-Spartanburg Airport in South Carolina recorded 2.3 inches of rain Saturday, smashing the previous record of 0.77 inches set in 1961, according to John Tomko, National Weather Service meteorologist at Greenville-Spartanburg.

"This one is extraordinary in that it's such a prolonged event," he said.

In North Carolina, Agriculture Commissioner Steve Troxler said farmers are starting to see the effect of the continuous rain on their crops.

Apples in Henderson County are starting to split open because they're waterlogged and farmers can't get into the fields to harvest other crops.

Flooded roads were closed throughout the mid-Atlantic region and power companies reported scattered outages in several states.

The National Weather Service in Greenville, South Carolina, said "bursts of heavy rain are likely" in the Carolinas and parts of northern Georgia that could cause some rivers and streams to flood significantly.

The rain levels had the potential to be "life threatening and historic," the service said on its website.

Once the rain ends, the threat of flooding persists because the ground is too saturated to absorb water, meteorologists say.

Flood watches and warnings also are in effect in Delaware and parts of New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.