COLUMBIA, S.C. — In Richland County Thursday night, officials are continuing to monitor Helene after spending a busy day responding to the effects of the storm.
Late Thursday afternoon, in Forest Acres, crews were forced to perform a water rescue, after a woman’s SUV was inundated with water as Eight Mile Branch Creek crested.
The woman was unharmed.
Forest Acres City Councilman Stephen Oliver said the creeks and rivers could rise again.
“The potential for more flooding is obviously still there. All of this water is coming from the northeast part of town. It’s a lot of water coming down the creek right now, so the water may rise again, we just ask people to stay off the roads,” Oliver said.
As Gills Creek continued to rise this Thursday, crews from the South Carolina Department of Transportation closed all lanes of Forest Drive at the Gills Creek bridge out of an abundance of caution.
Officials say Forest Drive will remain closed at Gills Creek until at least Friday morning.
Meanwhile, the City of Columbia invited media inside their emergency operations center Thursday, for a look at how they respond to storm conditions.
Crews tracked the storm, while accessing hundreds of traffic cameras from around the capitol city, looking for flooded intersections or citizens in need.
Columbia Public Works Director Robert Anderson advised motorists and pedestrians to steer clear of flooded streets.
“We don’t want you to drive through any water. We actually don’t want you walking through any water. I spoke to somebody earlier today, and I said, ‘You don’t know if there’s a manhole cover off when you walk through that water, and if you can’t see it, if you fall in that manhole who knows where you’re going to come out at,'" Anderson said.