As South Carolina deals with deadly, 1,000-year flooding caused by Hurricane Joaquin this weekend, a strange, grim effect of the deluge is being felt throughout the area: coffins are surfacing and floating in the floodwaters.
Photos of the strange phenomenon were posted to social media on Sunday.
@wis10 @WRDW caskets rising due to flood in Springfield SC pic.twitter.com/Q8dANmYkTP— • halesss (@hdubbleu8) October 4, 2015
From: Kim Boston - Caskets floating in the Springfield Cemetery, Samaria Road in Orangeburg. #SCFlood #SEFlood pic.twitter.com/VQm2h4GAjT— Daniel Bonds (@Daniel_Bonds) October 4, 2015
With the heavy rainfall and floodwaters having completely saturated the soil at the coffins depth, the pressure from the water pushes the coffins through the surface where they can be swept away by flood waters.
Besides the emotional turmoil that can come with seeing a loved one's coffin floating out of the ground, such occurrences can also pose health risks. The floodwaters can spread toxic chemicals used in formaldehyde and other chemicals used for embalming.
#chswx RT @Little_Carroll: Water levels are starting to make graves and caskets rise. pic.twitter.com/QWM7GDmAnZ— Joe Wright (@Sctvman) October 4, 2015
@JRBerryWLTX evergreen cemetery pic.twitter.com/1y5kz1wsgi— Justin Sherrill (@ItsOPIEyaBisch) October 4, 2015
As horrific as the sight is, it's also not a completely uncommon occurrence during severe flooding. In 1994, during flooding caused by Tropical Storm Alberto, over 400 coffins were forced to the surface in Albany, Georgia.