How far will the storm surge come in? See how bad your area could flood

Category 5 Hurricane Irma is officially headed our way — although we’re not sure yet what category it will be when it affects the South Carolina coast.

The amount of damage from wind and the storm surge is different for each category. While it’s hard to tell exactly how much damage would occur, Horry County Emergency Management guidelines and National Weather Service storm surge hazard maps offer an idea of how each category of storm could impact the Grand Strand.

Category 1: 74 - 95 mph winds

This category of storm could put down power lines and cause some roof damage to buildings. Trees may topple, branches may snap, and power lines could go down.

Category 2: 96 - 110 mph winds

Winds would cause “extensive damage” to roofs, and the amount of trees toppled or snapped could cause numerous roadblocks, according to county emergency management. A “near-total” power outage would be expected and could last days or even weeks.

Category 3: 111 - 129 mph winds

The county says that “devastating damage” would occur, with well-built framed homes sustaining “major damage.” Water and power could be unavailable for days or weeks.

Category 4: 130 - 156 mph winds

“Catastrophic damage” would occur, with houses sustaining “severe” damage due to the “loss of most of the roof structure” as well as exterior walls, according to the county. Water and power could be out for weeks and fallen trees would “isolate” neighborhoods. Most of the county would be “uninhabitable” for weeks or even months.

Category 5: 157 mph winds or stronger

A “high percentage of framed homes” would be destroyed, according to the county. Utilities would go out for possibly months, and the area would be uninhabitable for weeks or months.

The full interactive storm surge map can be found here.

This story was originally published September 7, 2017 at 1:31 PM with the headline "How far will the storm surge come in? See how bad your area could flood."