Parts of Charleston underwater as Hurricane Ian hits South Carolina

Many areas on Charleston’s downtown peninsula were underwater midday Friday and officials reported widespread power outages across the historic city as Hurricane Ian approached.

Officials said power had been knocked out across the city as high winds and sheets of rain whipped trees and power lines pending Ian’s expected landfall just up the South Carolina coast.

The storm’s expected landfall coincided with high tide, a circumstance that was forecast to lead to widespread roadway blockages.

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City officials were out early Friday, clearing storm drains and pumping water away from the historic Battery area along the city’s southern tip, into Charleston Harbor.