COLUMBIA, S.C. — As the rain from Debby continues to fall, state officials continue to emphasize that it will be the water, not the wind that causes the most damage across the state.
That includes localized flooding.
Tuesday afternoon South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster continued to stress that Debby has the potential to drop record amounts of rainfall across the state.
"When it gets into the rivers in North Carolina and up into the headwaters in the rivers in our state, it all comes our way. So it takes time. A lot of this flooding will happen likely after that," McMaster said.
Once the ground is saturated, there’s a very real risk of trees becoming uprooted or falling over.
Zachary Dusang and his wife, Erica own New Life Tree Company. Zachary said after heavy rains, it doesn't take much for some trees to fall.
"The roots are bulging up on one side and the ground just looks elevated. But some of the roots will detach and then you’ll get a big gust of wind, and it will push it right over," Dusang explained.
He said an unexpected tree fall can be deadly as he explained one of the worst he had seen.
"Literally the tree cut the house completely in half. I’m craning out a 2,000-pound piece of wood and right next to it is where all the kids play," Dusang said.
If you suspect a tree may have been weakened by ground saturation, the Dusangs say the best advice is to call a professional arborist.
"If they can’t get an arborist out, I would recommend not being in the area where they think the tree is going to fall, or reaching out to somebody, anybody if they can get out of there because it can quickly turn into a deadly situation," Erica Dusang said.
Standing water can also make you sick. That’s according to Myra Reece, the Director of Environmental Affairs at the state Department of Environmental Services.
"There’s still going to be pockets of saturation around homes and it’s very tempting for people, especially children, to play in those waters. Some of that flood water can have bacteria in there and also chemicals from urban runoff," Reece said.
Officials stress that the most important thing to have when severe weather breaks out is a plan.
If you’re concerned about flooding or the potential of trees striking your home, consider staying with friends and family or one of the shelters that have opened in the area.