Rainstorms on Sunday continued to drench U.S. East Coast, with the state of South Carolina bracing for what local emergency officials called "a historic flood."

According to weather forecasters, possible heavy rainstorms were expected through Sunday in South Carolina and in other states along East Coast, including Maryland, New Jersey, North Carolina and Virginia.

In South Carolina, emergency officials had already sent a statewide alert, warning people to stay off roads and remain indoors as rescuers were scrambling to pull out people trapped in besieged cars.

According to local authorities, one of the hardest hit areas in South Carolina was around the state capital Columbia, where a weather station recorded more than 18 inches (about 46 centimeters) of rain in the last 24 hours.

Meanwhile, according to local authorities, at least 30,000 people in Dorchester and Charleston, South Carolina, were currently without power.

Elsewhere in South Carolina, TV news footage showed images of cars being inundated to the roofs and a spokesman from South Carolina's emergency management division said Sunday in some areas, waters were rising over dams.

U.S. President Barack Obama on Saturday declared a state of emergency in South Carolina.

Flood warnings had also been issued for several coastal states. The National Weather Service said Sunday that inundation and water in and near low-lying coastal areas could lead to road closures and significant flooding of property.

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