Devastating photos of South Carolina's record-breaking floods

Ten have been confirmed dead as the National Guard responds to the extreme weather

Justin Carissimo

New York

Tuesday 06 October 2015 00:27 BST

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President Barack Obama signed a “major” disaster declaration for several counties in South Carolina as the death toll has risen to 10, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Governor Nikki Haley addressed reporters on Monday admitting that while Tuesday has a sunny forecast, her state's challenges are far from over.

“We are stronger today than we were yesterday,” she said. “This is not over. Just because the rain stops does not mean that we are out of the woods.”

She said that more than 20 inches of rainfall had caused nearly 550 roads to close on Monday. Nearly 40,000 residents had no access to running water and 26,000 were without power. Hundreds of evacuations were carried out over the weekend and the state is preparing for more evacuations throughout the week. Eight dams have burst and heavy rains have dislodged numerous coffins from the region's cemeteries.

More than 1,300 national guard troops are responding to the unprecedented flooding. Here are scenes of the aftermath.