South Carolina Chabad Centers Mobilize to Help Flooding Victims
As they join their fellow South Carolina residents in assessing the full impact of severe flooding that washed away local bridges, severely damaged roads, caused a severe shortage in drinking water and led to the loss of 15 lives, leaders and volunteers at Chabad centers throughout the state are joining with other Jewish communal organizations in helping those most in need.
Rain began pouring down on South Carolina late on Saturday, Oct. 3, and continued for the next three days, shattering records across the region. The Columbia area was extremely hard-hit, with rainfall in excess of 20 inches recorded in some spots. A state of emergency was declared by President Obama.
The unprecedented rate of rainfall proved too much for local dams, which buckled under the weight, and sent water rushing over the banks of local rivers and streams, washing out anything in its path.
Businesses and schools are closed, and the downtown is waterlogged. Though the rain has stopped, flooding remains a concern across the area, with reports of more than $1 billion in damages.
Rabbi Levi Marrus, co-director of adult education at Chabad of South Carolina with his wife, Devorah, says the gabbai (congregational-services leader) at the Chabad Aleph House and his wife were evacuated from their home on Tuesday night.
“Luckily, they had family to go to,” says Marrus, adding that the Chabad House is stocked with fresh water and snacks for anyone who needs it. Many Columbia residents have been boiling water these past few days to make it potable.
Indeed, fresh water is a precious commodity right now in Columbia; much of the city’s water supply is contaminated and occasionally not even working, as was the case for the Marrus family on Sunday. At 7 a.m., hours before the start of Shemini Atzeret and with plenty of cooking yet to be done, the water at the family’s home went off.
“We had to run to the store and get drinking water, but the stores were all closed,” said the rabbi. “Finally, we found one that was open, and the line was an hour long.”
Though he managed to get drinking water, Marrus did check in with another rabbi to find out if he could collect rainwater for use during the holiday. “I was told this how we’ve done things for centuries, so there’s no issue.”
Collecting Food, Clothing and More
Students at the Cutler Jewish Day School in Columbia, S.C., will be extending their Sukkot vacation for at least the remainder of this week. According to Rabbi Heshy Epstein, co-director of Chabad of South Carolina with his wife, Chava, the school did not sustain any direct damage. However, because the local water supply has been compromised by the floodwaters, the decision was made to close the school, which serves 157 students from infants to fifth-graders. Other schools throughout the city, along with the University of South Carolina, are also closed for the duration of the week.
Meanwhile, Rabbi Epstein’s yard and sukkah were flooded, though he says he and his family were very fortunate.
“We did not have any water come into the house,” he says. “Water did seep into the crawl space underneath, but it did not cause any damage. Our cars were not damaged. We escaped a lot of [what] others experienced.
“Just a block away from us,” the rabbi continues, “water piled up over cars and went into people’s homes. And just to the left of us, bridges were wiped out. It really depended on where you were and the path the water went. If you weren’t in its direct path, you were spared the worst of it.”
The Columbia Jewish Federation and the Katie & Irwin Kahn Jewish Community Center in Columbia are collecting supplies for those who have been displaced from their homes, including clothing, shoes, nonperishable food and more, while the Jewish Family Service there is ready to help anyone who needs a place to stay.
‘Everyone’s Been Impacted’
The story is similar in Charleston, which was also impacted by record rainfall and flooding.
“Everyone’s been impacted because Charleston is surrounded by rivers, so there are a lot of closures,” explains Rabbi Yossi Refson, co-director of Chabad of Charleston & the Low Country in Mount Pleasant, S.C., with his wife, Sarah. Rain there actually reached an overwhelming 27 inches.
“It goes from a mild inconvenience to people who have lost everything. For the most part, people are being inconvenienced because of road closures.”
Refson says his home was spared any damage. The same cannot be said for the future home of the Charleston Center for Jewish Life, which is currently under construction. “Our building site got some damage because they started pouring concrete. They haven’t been able to evaluate it because the building pad is still underwater,” says Refson.
Contractors are hoping to get access to the site tomorrow, but more water is streaming down from upstate, and there’s a chance for further flooding. “They tried pumping the water out, but that didn’t work, so they are just going to wait and see until they can evaluate what’s going on,” the rabbi says. “We’re two months in to a nine-month build, so depending on when they get the water out and depending on how long it takes them to clean up, this will probably set us back weeks, not months.”
The storm hit just as the final touches were being put on preparations for Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah, causing some synagogues to cancel services after a curfew was put in place. Chabad of South Carolina remained open and even had some unexpected guests.
Three yeshivah students visiting from Israel were driving from New York to Florida for Simchat Torah when the weather caught up with them. “They called me at 3:30 on Sunday, and said they were stuck in Columbia and asked if we could host them,” says Rabbi Epstein. “We put them up in the Chabad House for Simchat Torah.”
And while celebrations were a bit lighter in attendance due to the floods and a citywide curfew, they were still lively.
“People who came were very enthusiastic and very happy to be in a place that was warm and dry, and to be together,” says Epstein.
Though Wednesday’s high was in the upper 70s under a bright sun—and Thursday and Friday were also expected to be warm and dry—residents are keeping an eye on the water as flood watches remain in effect. State authorities suggest that it will take weeks or months before roads can be fully repaired.
For now, Shabbat programs are scheduled to take place as usual in Columbia and Charleston, bringing some sense of normality, along with an added feeling of gratitude for many.
“From our own perspectives, my wife and I have a newfound appreciation for those simple, small things we take for granted, like running water and paved roads,” says Rabbi Marrus.
“Our shul is called the Chabad Aleph House because we have a partnership with the Aleph Center in Miami, which helps people in prisons and in the military, because we are right near a large training base,” he explains. “It is apropos that the Aleph Center is once again helping those in need, which is the mission statement of the Aleph House in general.”
