Raleigh, NC (AP) - A South Carolina mayor says damage from Florence to his town tops the devastation wrought when Hurricane Matthew dumped a foot (30 centimeters) of rain on the area two years ago.
Mayor Lawson Battle said Saturday that Nichols is completely inundated by water. He describes the situation as "worse than Matthew." Nichols is about 40 miles (65 kilometers) inland from the coast.
Battle says Gov. Henry McMaster was scheduled to fly into the town later Saturday to assess the situation. He says he hopes the visit will trigger serious talk about quickly getting federal and state funds to the area to help it rebuild.
The small farming community lost almost 90 percent of its 261 homes when Matthew hit in 2016. Battle says flooding from Florence has wiped out the 150 or so homes that rebuilt after.
