Columbia residents come together to clean up, dry out

Many roads are still blocked off. Some are washed away by water or covered by fallen trees, and the state wants to safety test every one before opening them to traffic, Gov. Nikki Haley said.

More than a dozen dams were breached statewide, and others are vulnerable as the water flows downstream from mid-state to the coast, Haley said.

Kevin Varnadore and some buddies went door-to-door, offering help to those who needed it.

They hauled water-warped furniture, soaked linens and anything and everything out of homes that saw water levels reach the roof.

"I'm sure if you go to many other neighborhoods surrounding us, they're all doing the same thing," Andrews said. "It's people looking out for people."

In Lauren Johnson's neighborhood, it is a classic case of water everywhere and not a drop to drink. When historic floods swamped homes, breached dams and topped river banks, they left clean, running water in high demand.

On Tuesday, she made the trek to her mother-in-law's house, one of many submerged by stunning floodwaters.

"We're just heading over there to see what we can salvage at this point," she said.

Along the way, she spotted a little girl with a poster advertising free water.

There, a group of Johnson's neighbors were standing next to a U-Haul handing out free cases of water.