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Tropical Storm Erika's Aftermath: Flooding in Carolinas, Flood Warnings for Florida

Waist-high water was reported in Charleston, South Carolina.
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What's left of Tropical Storm Erika soaked parts of Florida and the Carolinas on Monday.

Charleston, South Carolina, recorded 6.4 inches of rain, its fifth-wettest day since records were first kept in 1938. Water sloshed around the historic downtown streets, waist-high flooding was reported elsewhere, and firefighters passed out sandbags.

In Florida, flood watches were in effect for a central swath of the state, roughly from Fort Myers to Orlando. Minor flooding was reported in Gainesville and St. Augustine on Sunday, and forecasters called for scattered rain through Tuesday.

The Tampa area in particular has been soaked in recent weeks, so it doesn't take a lot more rain to trigger flooding, The Weather Channel reported.

In the Caribbean, hard-hit countries were still tallying the damage wrought by Erika.

At least 20 people died on the island of Dominica after 13 inches of rain fell in about half a day, causing what the prime minister called "monumental" destruction.

And in Puerto Rico, 200,000 people lost power, and millions of dollars in crops were destroyed. Mudslides blocked roads in Haiti, where a prison was evacuated and rain appeared to have caused a fiery truck crash, killing four people and injuring 11.

Much farther east in the Atlantic Ocean, Hurricane Fred gained strength on Monday, triggered what was believed to be the first hurricane warning on record for the Cape Verde Islands.

It was expected to weaken in the open ocean and posed no threat to the Caribbean or the United States, The Weather Channel reported.

Image: Charleston flooding
Flooding in Charleston, South Carolina.Nick Milak / @nickmilak/Instagram