Hurricane Joaquin soaks eastern US

CHARLESTON ( AFP) — Much of the US southeast was under water Saturday, deluged by rains from Hurricane Joaquin, with forecasters predicting more historic flooding in coming days for the already waterlogged region.

Joaquin, a powerful Category 4 storm, brought record-setting rain to many southeastern US states after devastating parts of the Bahamas.

News reports have blamed Joaquin for four deaths in the United States since Thursday.

CNN reported that one person was killed by a falling tree in North Carolina. Three others died in weather-related accidents in South Carolina, it said.

Meanwhile, the Bahamas, a low-lying archipelago, has huge areas where homes were destroyed and residents left without power or phone service after the Atlantic storm tore past.

“This is my 26th year living here, and I have never seen this before,” San Salvador resident Paul Turnquest told The Nassau

Guardian.

The Bahamas’ National Emergency Management Agency was working on damage assessment, and did not immediately have casualty figures.

At least one person was killed on Long Island, Tribune242 reported, as lawmakers headed out on overflights to survey the damage.

And 11 houses were under water on Rum Cay, a resident there told the Guardian.

Lawmaker Alfred Gray said at least seven homes were totally destroyed between Snug Corner and Mason Bay, on Acklins Island.

The sprawling Bahamas islands is home to 385,000 people and visited by far more tourists every year — about 1.3 million.

The US east coast — which had had heavy rains in the days leading up to the arrival of Joaquin — avoided a direct hit, but nevertheless suffered heavy rain from outer bands of the powerful, slow-moving storm.