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 / Updated By Kurt Chirbas, Alice Tidey and Elizabeth Chuck 
 
 Thousands of North Carolina residents were allowed to return home Wednesday after a landslide caused by heavy rains prompted mandatory evacuations near a dam, officials said. 
 
 Residents living below Lake Tahoma, in western North Carolina, were ordered to leave around 1 a.m. ET Wednesday after the Tahoma Dam was inspected by an engineer and officials determined that the landslide had compromised its integrity. 
 
 "Act now to preserve your life," urged a tweet from the National Weather Service office in Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina. 
 
 MCDOWELL COUNTY UPDATE: A landslide has comprised the integrity of Lake Tahoma Dam. MANDATORY EVACUATIONS underway from the Dam at Lake Shore Dr to Lake Tahoma Rd (NC 80) to the confluence of the Catawba River near Resistoflex Rd and Riverside Park. ACT NOW TO PRESERVE YOUR LIFE! — NWS GSP (@NWSGSP) May 30, 2018 
 
 In the early hours of Wednesday morning, officials in McDowell County reported widespread flooding after heavy rainfall of 4 to 6 inches over the past 24 hours, the National Weather Service said. "This is causing significant and life-threatening flooding countywide," it said. 
 
 The flooding was triggered by the soggy remnants of Alberto, the first named storm of the Atlantic hurricane season. 
 
 The flash flooding emergency expired at 10:30 a.m. Around the same time, officials lifted the mandatory evacuation order after deeming the dam safe. 
 
 Earlier, the National Weather Service said a flash flood emergency was in place for McDowell County, which includes the city of Marion, home to around 7,800 people, and Old Fort, population 900. 
 
 Residents living below Lake Tahoma in North Carolina were ordered to evacuate. Bing Maps 
 
 It added: "Floodwaters have reached levels not seen since the September 2004 floods associated with Hurricanes Frances and Ivan. Numerous evacuations of residences, businesses and campgrounds; road closures; water rescues; and landslides are ongoing." 
 
 William Kehler, McDowell County's emergency services director, told NBC News that several thousand people lived in the evacuation zone. 
 
 Lake Tahoma is about five miles northwest of Marion, which is about 36 miles east of Asheville. 
 
 There were no casualties reported from the floods. North Carolina Gov. Roy Cooper said in a statement that two state Department of Transportation workers were swept away by a mudslide in McDowell County as they worked to clear debris from a previous mudslide, but they managed to stand on a truck that had fallen into the Catawba River until they were rescued. Cooper declared a state of emergency for western North Carolina on Wednesday. 
 
 McDowell county emergency management reports water is spilling around the sides of Lake Tahoma dam. Evacuations ongoing south of the dam. THIS IS A LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION. HEED ALL EVACUATION ORDERS IMMEDIATELY! If you are not threatened by floodwaters, shelter in place. — NWS GSP (@NWSGSP) May 30, 2018 
 
 Alberto has hit multiple states. Flash flood watches were in effect early Wednesday for parts of several states from Alabama through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, the Carolinas and Virginia and West Virginia. 
 
 A mudslide shut down three lanes of traffic on Interstate 40 in North Carolina overnight. WCNC 
 
 A television news anchor and a photojournalist covering the weather in North Carolina were killed Monday when an uprooted tree toppled onto their SUV in North Carolina. 
 
 NBC affiliate WYFF of Greenville said news anchor Mike McCormick and photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer were killed. 
 
 WYFF News 4 anchor Mike McCormick and WYFF News 4 photojournalist Aaron Smeltzer died Monday when a tree fell on their SUV. https://t.co/VZZKA6K6qq All of us at WYFF News 4 are grieving. We are a family. pic.twitter.com/IQmZ6prUIH — WYFF News 4 (@wyffnews4) May 28, 2018 ||||| Authorities in western North Carolina canceled evacuations in an area south of the Lake Tahoma dam, which had been in "imminent danger" of failing after a landslide. The landslide was set off by heavy rainfall associated with Alberto, which made landfall as a subtropical storm on Memorial Day. 
 
 Local officials said Wednesday morning that an engineer had performed a safety inspection and determined that the evacuation order was no longer needed. 
 
 After midnight Tuesday, the National Weather Service had declared a flash flood emergency in the area: 
 
 McDowell county emergency management reports water is spilling around the sides of Lake Tahoma dam. Evacuations ongoing south of the dam. THIS IS A LIFE-THREATENING SITUATION. HEED ALL EVACUATION ORDERS IMMEDIATELY! If you are not threatened by floodwaters, shelter in place. — NWS GSP (@NWSGSP) May 30, 2018 
 
 CBS affiliate WSPA-TV of Spartanburg, South Carolina, reports that a state of emergency was declared in McDowell County. 
 
 McDowell County Emergency Management said some 2,000 people from campgrounds and residential communities near the dam and lake had evacuated, with roughly 200 at shelters. Old Fort and Marion are the hardest-hit communities. 
 
 Shelters were set up at two churches and a YMCA. 
 
 McDowell County Emergency Management Deputy Director Adrienne Jones told The Associated Press five minor injuries have been reported during water rescues as creeks and streams overflowed their banks and rockslides closed roads. 
 
 The Twitter account for the area's National Weather Service office retweeted a picture showing floodwaters in Burke County. 
 
 @DukeEnergyStorm @NWSGSP this is the 8:30am picture at my family cabin at the confluence of Muddy Creek and Linville about a half mile downstream of the Bridgewater Hydro Plant (Burke County). Water rising quick. @wxbrad @FHWxN pic.twitter.com/MqTlUYRg6x — wxchristopher (@wxchristopher) May 30, 2018 
 
 CBS affiliate WFMY-TV of Greensboro, North Carolina, reports a mudslide in Old Fort forced the shutdown of a portion of Interstate 40. Later, the North Carolina Department of Transportation said the right two westbound lanes and the left eastbound lane remained closed, probably until Friday afternoon. 
 
 WFMY-TV said western North Carolina communities were on high alert due to heavy rains and flash flooding and possible mudslides from Alberto. According to the AP, forecasters warned that the leftovers of the Atlantic hurricane season's first named storm were still capable of causing treacherous flooding as heavy precipitation spreads deeper into the nation's midsection. Flash flood watches were in effect for parts of several states from Alabama through Tennessee, Kentucky, Illinois, the Carolinas and Virginia and West Virginia. 
 
 Lake Tahoma is a private lake in the mountains of Western North Carolina, located in McDowell County. ||||| 00:55 Evacuation Orders Lifted in North Carolina Flood Threat The evacuation orders in McDowell County, N.C. have been lifted, and an engineer has deemed the Lake Tahoma Dam safe for now. 
 
 At a Glance Torrential rain lead to widespread flooding in western North Carolina Tuesday night and Wednesday morning. 
 
 Evacuations were ordered below the Lake Tahoma Dam in McDowell County. 
 
 There were a pair of landslides near the dam that raised concerns about the dam's integrity. 
 
 Wednesday morning, an engineer deemed the dam safe and all evacuations were lifted. 
 
 Evacuations have been lifted after a dam in western North Carolina was deemed structurally sound despite earlier fears that mudslides and flooding triggered by Tropical Depression Alberto could cause the structure to fail. 
 
 McDowell County Emergency Management ordered mandatory evacuations for all residents living below Lake Tahoma Dam along Buck Creek and along the Catawba River from Buck Creek and Lake Tahoma Road to the mouth of Lake James, based on the recommendation from on-site dam engineers. Water was reportedly spilling over the sides of the dam just after midnight Wednesday morning. 
 
 After the dam was examined, McDowell County Emergency Management said there was no danger, and all evacuation orders were lifted . McDowell County Emergency Services director William Kehler told NBC News that the mandatory evacuations impacted "several thousand" residents . 
 
 Gov. Roy Cooper declared a state of emergency for western North Carolina as a response to the flooding and mudslides in McDowell County and elsewhere. 
 
 (MORE: Hurricane Central ) 
 
 Five minor injuries were reported during water rescues, McDowell County Emergency Management deputy director Adrienne Jones told the Associated Press. Lake Tahoma is located about 5 miles northwest of Marion, North Carolina, or about 27 miles east-northeast of Asheville. 
 
 <img class="styles__noscript__2rw2y" src="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/lake-tahoma-locator.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0" srcset="https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/lake-tahoma-locator.jpg?v=at&w=485&h=273&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 400w, https://dsx.weather.com/util/image/w/lake-tahoma-locator.jpg?v=ap&w=980&h=551&api=7db9fe61-7414-47b5-9871-e17d87b8b6a0 800w" > 
 
 Widespread flooding was reported in McDowell County, including along the Catawba River and its tributaries like Mill, Crooked, Nix, Curtis and Mackey creeks. Flooding was also reported along sections of U.S. 70 and U.S. 221 in the county. 
 
 The Catawba River near Pleasant Gardens , west of the city of Marion, crested at its highest level since its record crest set during Hurricane Frances in September 2004. 
 
 Because of the flooding, schools were closed Wednesday in McDowell County , according to Fox Carolina. 
 
 Flooding was also reported in the town of Old Fort, North Carolina, late Tuesday night. Multiple semi trucks were reported stuck in floodwaters in the Greenlee community just east of Old Fort. 
 
 A landslide shut down all westbound lanes on Interstate 40 at the top of Old Fort Mountain Tuesday night, but the roadway has since been cleared and reopened. 
 
 An estimated 4 to 6 inches of rain had fallen since Tuesday morning in McDowell County, according to the NWS. 
 
 (INTERACTIVE: Latest Radar of Alberto ) 
 
 Elsewhere, parts of U.S. 176 were shut down from flooding in Polk County, North Carolina, between Saluda and Tryon. 
 
 At least five mudslides were reported in Henderson County blocking roads near the towns of Bat Cave and Hendersonville. In Black Mountain, a mobile home park was evacuated Tuesday as floodwaters rose , according to WLOS.com. 
 
 Asheville crushed its previous record-wettest May – 9.81 inches in 2009 – by over 3 inches and is closing in on its wettest single month dating to 1869 . 
 
 This is a developing story. Check back with us at weather.com for the latest. ||||| (CNN) The rain may have stopped, but South Carolina is grappling with a host of new concerns. Dam breaks. Billions of dollars in damage. And rivers that still haven't crested. 
 
 "We still have to be cautious," Gov. Nikki Haley told reporters on Tuesday afternoon. "The next 36 to 48 hours are going to be a time that we need to continue to be careful." 
 
 Haley declined to provide an estimated cost of the damage -- which she called "disturbing" -- but said state and Federal Emergency Management Agency officials were making assessments. 
 
 "It's hard to look at the loss we're going to have," she said. "This could be any amount of dollars." 
 
 More than 400,000 state residents were under a "boil water advisory" affecting about 16 water systems, said Jim Beasley, a spokesman for the S.C. Emergency Response Team. 
 
 Here's the latest on the mammoth flooding in the region: 
 
 Dam breaks 
 
 At least 11 dams have failed in South Carolina since Saturday, the state's Emergency Management Division said. Another 35 dams were being monitored. 
 
 One failure, of the Overcreek Bridge dam in Richland County's Forest Acres, sent a torrent of floodwater raging downstream and forced evacuations near Columbia. 
 
 MANDATORY EVACUATION: OVERCREEK RESIDENTS LIVING BETWEEN FOREST DR. & PERCIVAL RD. IN FOREST ACRES — SCEMD (@SCEMD) October 5, 2015 
 
 Officials allowed water to breach at least one other dam, also in Richland County. Officials conduct these controlled breaches "to prevent a much larger incident and a much larger amount of water escaping from the dam," emergency management spokesman Derrec Becker said. 
 
 Haley said National Guard members were helping with sandbagging operations and other mitigation efforts. 
 
 Death toll rises 
 
 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years The last 30 years have brought plenty of deadly and destructive storms to the United States, including 2005's Hurricane Katrina (here, police and others use boats to rescue people in a flooded New Orleans neighborhood). Click through the gallery to see more photos of disastrous hurricanes over the last three decades, and check out this video to find out which states have been hit the most often. Hide Caption 1 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hide Caption 2 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Sandy, 2012: It technically lost its hurricane status shortly before striking New Jersey, but its gigantic size -- it covered 1.8 million square miles at landfall -- sent devastating storm surges to the coast. Here, a man looks for pieces of his beach house after It technically lost its hurricane status shortly before striking New Jersey, but its gigantic size -- it covered 1.8 million square miles at landfall -- sent devastating storm surges to the coast. Here, a man looks for pieces of his beach house after Sandy demolished it in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. With 72 directly killed in eight states, this was the most deadly tropical cyclone outside the South since 1972's Hurricane Agnes. At least 650,000 U.S. homes were damaged or destroyed in the U.S. Hide Caption 3 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hide Caption 4 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Irene, 2011: After hitting North Carolina, After hitting North Carolina, Irene did most of its damage in the way of heavy rain and flooding in New York and New England. In southern Vermont alone, nearly 2,400 roads were damaged or destroyed, NOAA says. Here, Tony Carr carries a TV set September 1 from his home, which was destroyed by Irene-related floods in Prattsville, New York. Hide Caption 5 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hide Caption 6 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Ike, 2008: After killing scores in the Caribbean, Ike turned to Texas, sending storm surges that leveled homes on Galveston Island. It's remnants did extensive damage as far north as Ohio, where 2.6 million people lost power. Here, an Air Force Reserve pararescueman scans the ravaged Texas landscape shortly after Ike. Hide Caption 7 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hide Caption 8 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Katrina, 2005: Unforgettable Unforgettable Katrina -- the costliest hurricane and one of the five deadliest to hit the United States, according to NOAA -- devastated the Gulf Coast days after crossing Florida. Flooding destroyed thousands of homes in the New Orleans area alone; storm surges wiped out coastal towns in Mississippi. Here, people stand stranded on a roof in New Orleans. Hide Caption 9 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hide Caption 10 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Rita, 2005: Just a month after Katrina, : Just a month after Katrina, Hurricane Rita piled on, slamming into the Louisiana coast. Wind, rain and tornadoes left billions in damages from eastern Texas to Alabama. Here, surging water from Rita reach the streets of New Orleans' Ninth Ward, topping a levee that had just been patched after Katrina damaged it. Hide Caption 11 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hide Caption 12 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Wilma, 2005: The year might be remembered for the one-two punch of Katrina and Rita, but : The year might be remembered for the one-two punch of Katrina and Rita, but Wilma , which hit Florida after devastating Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, would become (as of May 2015) the U.S.'s fifth most costly cyclone. Here, workers remove debris from a Miami flower and plant shop on October 28. Millions were without power in the state. Hide Caption 13 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hide Caption 14 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Beta, 2005: Beta wasn't one of the most devastating cyclones, but we include it here to make a point: There were so many named storms in the Atlantic in 2005 that forecasters' pre-approved 21-name list for the year was exhausted. So they went to the Greek alphabet six times, including for Hurricane Beta, which directly hit part of Nicaragua. Here, people wade through a street flooded by Beta in Honduras on October 30. Hide Caption 15 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hide Caption 16 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Ivan, 2004: This year also was hurricane-heavy, punctuated by : This year also was hurricane-heavy, punctuated by Ivan , a storm with two lives. First, it killed dozens in the Caribbean and slammed into Alabama. Later, its remnants went back over Florida from the Atlantic and re-formed in the Gulf as a tropical storm, making another landfall in southwestern Louisiana. It spawned more than 100 tornadoes, one of the factors that left considerable damage across the Southeast and some mid-Atlantic states. Here, a woman walks over debris as she visits her home, destroyed by Ivan, in Perdido Key, Florida, on September 20. Hide Caption 17 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hide Caption 18 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Floyd, 1999: Deadly flooding, especially in North Carolina, was one of Floyd's main legacies. Parts of eastern North Carolina and Virginia received 15 to 20 inches of rain, and flooding led to the razing of thousands of buildings -- most of them homes -- from North Carolina to New Jersey. At the time, it was the deadliest U.S. hurricane since 1972. Here,a beach house, severely damaged by Floyd, sits crumbled sits in the sand on the Oak Island town of Long Beach, North Carolina, on November 10. Hide Caption 19 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hide Caption 20 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Andrew, 1992: Andrew blasted its way across south Florida on August 24 as a Category 4 with peak gusts measured at 164 mph. After raking entire neighborhoods in an around Homestead, it moved across the Gulf to hit Louisiana as a Category 3. It was responsible for 23 U.S. deaths and three in the Bahamas. Here, a sailboat sits on a sidewalk at Dinner Key in Miami after Andrew washed it ashore. Hide Caption 21 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hide Caption 22 of 23 Photos: Devastating hurricanes of the last 30 years Hugo, 1989: Hugo ripped through the Carolinas, starting with Charleston, South Carolina, on September 22 as a Category 4 after raking the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Here, a man stands in a destroyed house on September 27 in South Carolina. Hide Caption 23 of 23 
 
 So far, at least 17 people have died in weather-related incidents: 15 in South Carolina and two in North Carolina. 
 
 At least nine people drowned and six died in traffic accidents, South Carolina's Department of Public Safety said. 
 
 North Carolina reported two deaths from traffic accidents, in Cumberland and Jackson counties, a state emergency management spokeswoman said. 
 
 Haley said there had been 175 water rescues so far in South Carolina, and more than 800 people were temporarily housed in shelters. 
 
 More than 70 miles of Interstate 95 in the state remained closed, with five to eight bridges still awaiting structural checks, she said. 
 
 Caskets float away 
 
 Of all the scenes of items drifting away in the flooding, perhaps none appeared as dramatic as a casket unearthed from a cemetery. 
 
 Wayne Reeves, pastor of New Life Ministries in Summerville, was in the middle of an interview when he saw the casket float away. 
 
 So he headed into the waist-deep floodwater to retrieve it. 
 
 This was the scene an hour ago as a SC pastor pushed an unearthed casket out of the flood waters @WCBD pic.twitter.com/qLVe3q4i5l — Matt Alba (@mattalbaWCBD) October 5, 2015 
 
 "That's somebody's family out there," he told CNN affiliate WCBD-TV . "That's (a) family suffering. That's their family there that popped up from under the ground. And I think it's the human thing to do." 
 
 The casket, still adorned with white and pink flowers, carried the remains of a woman buried in May, WCBD said. Another casket, that of the woman's husband, also drifted away, but Dorchester County sheriff's officials later recovered it. 
 
 As it turned out, the woman's family was watching nearby as Reeves went into the water. 
 
 "This family don't want to sit on the edge of this road all night long watching their family members bob in the water like that," the pastor told WCBD. 
 
 "If that was my mom or my dad, I'd walk through hell and high water. And today it happened to be high water." 
 
 Apartments looted 
 
 Some Columbia residents left their homes as victims of flooding. They returned to find their homes looted. 
 
 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Photos: Storms flood East Coast This aerial photo shows flooding around Aberdeen Country Club in Longs, South Carolina, on Tuesday, October 6. South Carolina experienced record rainfall amounts over the weekend, forcing hundreds of evacuations and rescues. Hide Caption 1 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A woman uses her boat to check on neighbors and see if they want to evacuate in Summerville, South Carolina, on Monday, October 5. Hide Caption 2 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Police officers carry a woman to dry land after she was rescued from her home in the St. Andrews area of Columbia, South Carolina, on October 5. Hide Caption 3 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Neighbors and friends help clean up a home affected by flooding in Columbia on October 5. Hide Caption 4 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Five-month-old Jeremiah Odum, left, and his 2-year-old brother, Braxton Odum, nap on a cot in a high school gymnasium being used as a Red Cross shelter for flood evacuees in Rowesville, South Carolina, on October 5. Hide Caption 5 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Rescue teams wait for an emergency vehicle in the Forest Acres neighborhood of Columbia on Monday, October 5. Hide Caption 6 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast An oil sheen floats atop floodwater in a subdivision west of the Ashley River in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 5. Hide Caption 7 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A dog is cut off from its home in Florence, South Carolina, on October 5. Florence is about 85 miles east of the capital city, Columbia. Hide Caption 8 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Hunter Baker drives his boat down a flooded East Black Creek Road to his home following heavy rains in Florence on October 5. Hide Caption 9 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A man makes his way through floodwaters in the parking lot of The Citadel Beach Club on Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on October 5. Charleston and surrounding areas are still struggling with flooding, as are areas 100 miles inland. Hide Caption 10 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Members of Norfolk Fire-Rescue pull a man from his car in Norfolk, Virginia, on Sunday, October 4. Hide Caption 11 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast David Linnen takes a yard rake to clear drains in front of the Winyah Apartments in Georgetown, South Carolina, on October 4. Hide Caption 12 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Charlene Stennis is escorted to safety after her son was rescued from a stranded vehicle during the heavy rains on October 4 in Columbia, South Carolina. Hide Caption 13 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast The roof of a submerged vehicle peeks above the flood waters on October 4 in Columbia, South Carolina. Hide Caption 14 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Tripp Adams, 8, walks through flood waters in Georgetown, South Carolina, on October 4. Hide Caption 15 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A person walks through the flooded Market and Water streets in downtown Wilmington, North Carolina, on October 4. Hide Caption 16 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Neighbors watch employees with the city of Isle of Palms, South Carolina, cut a live oak tree that fell after heavy rain on October 4. Hide Caption 17 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A man watches as a vehicle tries to navigate flood waters in Florence, South Carolina, on October 4. Hide Caption 18 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Two men row a boat on a flooded street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, on October 4. Hide Caption 19 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Police block an entrance to Highway 17 in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 4. Hide Caption 20 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A man paddles up to a flooded store in Columbia, South Carolina, on October 4. Hide Caption 21 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A firefighter walks down a flooded street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, on October 4. Hide Caption 22 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A worker cleans a drain on a flooded street in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, on Saturday, October 3. Hide Caption 23 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A utility worker examines the damage to a home Charlotte, North Carolina, on October 3. Hide Caption 24 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A motorist turns back as floodwater rises in Harrisburg, North Carolina, on October 3. Hide Caption 25 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A woman walks through One City Plaza in downtown Greenville, South Carolina, as rain and wind pound the area on October 3. Hide Caption 26 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Bob Ashbaugh, from Pittsburgh, takes video of waves crashing over homes at risk from erosion during high tide in Isle of Palms, South Carolina, on October 3. Hide Caption 27 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Stuart Tait ties together wood after his house collapsed into an inlet on Grassy Sound during high tide on October 3 north of North Wildwood, New Jersey. Hide Caption 28 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Will Cunningham, 14, rides his bike down Station 29 on Sullivan's Island, South Carolina, ahead of his paddling friend Patrick Kelly, 14, on October 3. Hide Caption 29 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Paul Banker paddles a kayak as his wife, Wink Banker, takes photos on a flooded street in Charleston, South Carolina, on October 3. Hide Caption 30 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Up to 4 inches of rain could strike the waterfront between Georgia and New Jersey. Motorists deal with the conditions on Friday, October 2, in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. Hide Caption 31 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Workers install a flood barrier at the entrance to the Market Pavilion Hotel in downtown Charleston, South Carolina, on Friday, October 2. Parts of the South Carolina coast braced for likely flooding. Hide Caption 32 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Flooding engulfs a neighborhood in the Strathmere section of Upper Township, New Jersey, on October 2. Hide Caption 33 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Sandbags surround a building in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. Hide Caption 34 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast A man closes a storefront on October 2 in Seaside Heights, New Jersey. Hide Caption 35 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Floodwater rises along Central Avenue in Sea Isle City, New Jersey, on October 2. Hide Caption 36 of 37 Photos: Storms flood East Coast Cars negotiate flooded streets on October 2 in Midland Beach on Staten Island, New York. Hide Caption 37 of 37 
 
 On Sunday, an apparent dam breach led to the flooding of the Willow Creek Apartments, property manager Heather Lovell told CNN affiliate WACH-TV 
 
 So rescue crews in boats came to the complex and helped residents to safety. 
 
 On Monday, Pamela Courts returned to her apartment and found not just flood damage but signs of theft. 
 
 "Overnight, we had a break-in, so whatever was upstairs they came and took: TVs, jewelry, everything," she told WACH. 
 
 Resident Juamaame Evins told the affiliate he was trying to stay positive despite the back-to-back hardships. 
 
 "Even though we lost everything and stuff got stolen, we can rebuild together and help each other and be each other's backbones and carry each other through this time because we need each other," he said. 
 
 Rivers still rising 
 
 The flooding is far from over. Rivers might not crest for another two weeks, CNN meteorologist Chad Myers said. 
 
 And the mayor of Columbia, who has said he believes damage "will probably be in the billions of dollars," is bracing for more trouble. 
 
 "We aren't close to being out of the woods," Mayor Steve Benjamin said Tuesday, adding that even more dams could be in danger of breaking or being topped by water. "We still expect the water to start coming down from the Upstate, coming downhill to the Midlands." 
 
 The situation is the result of a weather system that funneled tropical moisture into South Carolina last week and refused to move on, Myers said. 
 
 "It was a garden hose that just kept pouring ashore in one spot, and that spot was South Carolina," he said. 
 
 Flooding conditions could force the South Carolina Gamecocks to move Saturday's game against Louisiana State University to Baton Rouge, University of South Carolina Athletics Director Ray Tanner said. The school hopes to make a decision in the next day or two. 
 
 The University of South Carolina has canceled classes through Friday, saying that resuming normal operations for its 34,000 students and 6,000 faculty would "place an undue burden on a recovering infrastructure in the city."
– When you live near a major dam, the last thing you want to hear is that the integrity of it has been "compromised" by landslides. But that's exactly what residents living below North Carolina's Lake Tahoma were told late Tuesday in a tweet from a local National Weather Service account. "MANDATORY EVACUATIONS," the post read, with specifics on who exactly in McDowell County should be getting out. "ACT NOW TO PRESERVE YOUR LIFE!" NBC News reports the flash-flood emergency warning to thousands came after an engineer checked out the dam, and after heavy rain had caused "significant and life-threatening flooding" throughout the county, per the NWS. Weather.com says there were two landslides reported in the area, with local authorities noting the dam is in "imminent danger" of failing, per CBS News. Water was reported spilling out from the sides of the dam early Wednesday. "Floodwaters have reached levels not seen since the September 2004 floods associated with Hurricanes Frances and Ivan," the NWS says, per NBC. The communities of Marion and Old Fort are among those most severely affected. Heavy rainfall throughout several Southern states is linked to the storm Alberto, which took the lives of two South Carolina journalists Monday when a tree fell on their SUV. (A "once in 1,000 years" flood slammed a Maryland city—twice in two years.)