WILMINGTON, N.C. (AP) – The crisis from Hurricane Florence is slowly moving to South Carolina along with the trillions of gallons of water dumped by the storm.
People in coastal Horry County and nearby areas had enough warning and certainty about where the water was going that hundreds loaded furniture from their homes into trucks and flatbeds to take to higher ground.
In North Carolina, many started returning to flooded homes as the rivers receded. They were met by silty mud on walls and floors, blown out windows and terrible odors.
Pastor Floyd Benfield stands in front of the flood-damaged sanctuary of the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant in Spring Lake, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Just days before, the flooding Little River had left the church half submerged. (AP Photo/Alex Derosier)
South Carolina Gov. Henry McMaster estimated his state has already suffered $1.2 billion in damage. He asked Congress for help.
North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper says the state is still tallying its storm damage, but says it will be in the billions.
Joshua Ewing, of Disaster Relief Services, works to clear debris and storm damaged items from homes on East Front Street in New Bern, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Cleanup efforts are underway after Hurricane Florence brought destructive flooding to the historic neighborhood near the Neuse River. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP)
Area residents ride down N.C. Highway 53 that is flooded from the Northeast Cape Fear River in Burgaw, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. The river had severe flooding due to the rains from Hurricane Florence. (Matt Born/The Star-News via AP)
Part of the Starlite Motel is washed away in the aftermath of flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Part of the Starlite Motel is washed away in the aftermath of flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Kishor Depani sorts through the damage of the motel he co-owns and lived in which was destroyed in the flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. Depani had put all his savings in the motel which he bought with family members about six months ago. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Smita Depani, left, dumps out tea as her husband, Kishor, looks on while the family sorts through the damage of the motel they co-own and lived in which was destroyed in the flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Smita Depani, center, stands in the apartment she lived in while surveying the damage with her brother-in-law Jayanti Depani, left, and sister-in-law Puspa Manvar in the motel they own which was destroyed in the flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Dinesh Depani sorts through the damage of the motel his family owns which was destroyed in the flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Jose Perez-Santiago, right, holds his daughter Jordalis, 2, as they return to their home for the first time since it was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. “I didn’t realize we would lose everything,” said Perez-Santiago. “We’ll just have to start from the bottom again.” (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Rosemary Acevedo-Gonzalez, left, holds her daughter, Jordalis, 2, as they return to their home for the first time since it was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Rosemary Acevedo-Gonzalez retrieves clothing from her daughter’s bathroom as she returns to their home for the first time since it was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. “This is the only thing I can get,” said Acevedo-Gonzalez of what was salvageable. “That’s it. I’m done.” (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Rosemary Acevedo-Gonzalez retrieves her daughter’s clothing as she returns to their home for the first time since it was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. “This is the only thing I can get,” said Acevedo-Gonzalez of what was salvageable. “That’s it. I’m done.” (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Jose Perez-Santiago, left, and Rosemary Acevedo-Gonzalez, walk with their daughter Jordalis, 2, after retrieving her clothing upon returning to their home for the first time since it was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. “I didn’t realize we would lose everything,” said Perez-Santiago. “We’ll just have to start from the bottom again.” (AP Photo/David Goldman)
U.S. Army Sgt. Rose Stromberg holds the American flag she was able to retrieve from her storage unit which was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. The flag, which is adorned with all the names of those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, flew with her during her deployment in Afghanistan. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Dirt covers the back of U.S. Army Sgt. Rose Stromberg after she crawled into her storage unit, which was flooded in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence, to retrieve an American flag adorned with the names of those killed in the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Seema Depani, left, helps her family clean up after flooding from Hurricane Florence destroyed the Starlite Motel which her family owns in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Part of the Starlite Motel is washed away in the aftermath of flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Part of the Starlite Motel is washed away in the aftermath of flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Smita Depani, left, dumps out tea as her husband, Kishor, looks on while the family sorts through the damage of the motel they co-own and lived in which was destroyed in the flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Kishor Depani sorts through the damage of the motel he co-owns and lived in which was destroyed in the flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. Depani had put all his savings in the motel which he bought with family members about six months ago. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
The wall of a motel room shows how high the flooding reached from the Little River in the aftermath of Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Smita Depani, center, stands in the apartment she lived in while surveying the damage with her brother-in-law Jayanti Depani, left, and sister-in-law Puspa Manvar in the motel they own which was destroyed in the flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
Dinesh Depani sorts through the damage of the motel his family owns which was destroyed in the flooding from Hurricane Florence in Spring Lake, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. (AP Photo/David Goldman)
In this Sept. 19, 2018, photo released by Cape Fear River Watch, heavy rains from Hurricane Florence erode and breach a coal ash landfill at the L.V. Sutton Power Station in Wilmington, N.C. The landfill under construction at the site ruptured over the weekend, spilling enough material to fill 180 dump trucks. Coal ash contains arsenic, mercury and other toxic metals.(Kemp Burdette/Cape Fear River Watch via AP)
In this Sept. 19, 2018, photo released by Cape Fear River Watch, an earth mover is used to repair one of several breaches in a ruptured coal ash landfill at the L.V. Sutton Power Station in Wilmington, N.C. The landfill under construction at the site meant to hold coal ash in lined terraces ruptured over the weekend from heavy rains from Hurricane Florence, spilling enough material to fill 180 dump trucks. Coal ash contains arsenic, mercury and other toxic metals. (Kemp Burdette/Cape Fear River Watch via AP)
Severe flooding from the Northeast Cape Fear River due to the torrential rains from Hurricane Florence is seen in Burgaw, N.C., Wednesday, Sept. 19, 2018. Frustration and sheer exhaustion are building as thousands of people wait to go home seven days after the storm began battering the coast. (Matt Born/The Star-News via AP)
Chaplain Maryann Koffenberger places a painted board over the doorway of a storm damaged home on East Front Street in New Bern, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Residents and volunteers are beginning cleanup efforts after Hurricane Florence. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP)
Household items and appliances are curbside as residents and volunteers begin cleanup efforts on Change Street in New Bern, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Hurricane Florence brought damaging winds and destructive flooding to the historic neighborhood near the Neuse River. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP)
Storm damaged items and debris are piled in front of homes in the historic district in New Bern, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Cleanup efforts are underway after Hurricane Florence brought destructive flooding near the Neuse River. (Gray Whitley /Sun Journal via AP)
A cleanup crew member pushes a wheelbarrow of storm debris past a beached yacht on East Front Street in New Bern, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Hurricane Florence brought destructive flooding and storm surge to the historic community near the Neuse River. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP)
Volunteer Rita DeSanno helps clean furniture that was flooded at a home on Craven Street in New Bern, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Cleanup efforts are underway after Hurricane Florence brought destructive flooding to the historic community near the Neuse River. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP)
Resident Karen Whitmore places a box of free snacks outside her storm damaged home on Change Street in New Bern, N.C., Thursday, Sept. 20, 2018. Cleanup efforts are underway after Hurricane Florence brought destructive flooding to the historic community near the Neuse River. (Gray Whitley/Sun Journal via AP)
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