South Carolina Flooding Update: President Obama Signs Disaster Declaration; Death Toll Rises To At Least 12

Death toll from the South Carolina flooding reached at least 10 Monday after historic floods and deadly torrents damaged roads, submerged houses and cars, prompting President Barack Obama to sign a disaster declaration for the state. Two deaths were also reported from neighboring North Carolina.

The federal aid will help recovery efforts, making funding available in Charleston, Dorchester, Georgetown, Horry, Lexington, Orangeburg, Richland, and Williamsburg counties.

The storm, which hit Thursday, dropped so much water on South Carolina that Gov. Nikki Haley called it a "thousand-year rainfall" event. Authorities reportedly said that 40,000 residents were without water and less than 3,500 remained without power. Officials also said that all the deaths were ­weather-related incidents, which included drowning.

"This is a Hugo-level event," Maj. Gen. Robert Livingston, head of the South Carolina National Guard, said, according to the Associated Press (AP), referring to the September 1989 hurricane that damaged Charleston. "We didn't see this level of erosion in Hugo. ... This water doesn't fool around."

The University of South Carolina announced Tuesday that classes will be canceled due to the floods.

Nearly 19 dams have breached statewide and homes have been submerged and ruined, especially in and around Columbia, the state capital, prompting mandatory evacuation. By Monday, the heaviest rains had reportedly moved into the mid-Atlantic states, authorities reportedly said.

Mayor of Columbia Steve Benjamin took to his Twitter account late Monday saying that “conditions are still serious.”