Beaufort awash in Tropical Storm Irma flood waters

With high tide rapidly approaching early Monday afternoon, downtown Beaufort was awash in Tropical Storm Irma flood waters.

Waves lapped over the sea wall at Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park, cars were submerged in the parking lot at the Downtown Marina, and the tops of fire hydrants barely poked above flood waters along side streets.

Despite the flooding, there were quite a few cars on the roads and people walking the sidewalks of downtown.

Meanwhile, thousands in the city remained without power, as well as many traffic lights. Across the county, over 36,00 are without power.

Beaufort-Port Royal Fire Department Chief Reece Bertholf urged residents Monday afternoon to stay off roadways and avoid flooded areas.

If you reach an intersection where traffic lights are out, treat it as a four-way stop, he said.

This story will be updated.

This story was originally published September 11, 2017 at 9:40 AM with the headline "Beaufort awash in Tropical Storm Irma flood waters."