The record-breaking rainfall that swamped South Carolina during the first week of October may be over, but the hardship isn’t. The state now faces failing dams, billions of dollars in damage, a lot of rebuilding, and even more predicted flooding.

Over 20 inches of rain fell in South Carolina. Some areas received as much as 40 inches. At one point, half the state was flooded. Meteorologists declared the disaster a once-in-a-thousand-years storm.

The rainfall broke several historical records. “The official statewide 24-hour rainfall record was exceeded in several locations, and the unofficial state record for five-day total rainfall, which had stood for 107 years, has been surpassed at more than a dozen reporting sites,” according to the Weather Channel.

Yet even with the rain gone, there are concerns about latent river flooding. Meteorologist Chad Myers said that rivers might not crest for two weeks, so parts of South Carolina will be flooded for longer.

The state must also address crumbling infrastructure, contaminated water supplies, and thousands of businesses and homes that have been washed away. “We aren’t close to being out of the woods,” Columbia Mayor Steve Benjamin said in a press conference.

There have been at least five other once-in-a-thousand-years rainfalls in the United States since 2010. Steve Bowen of Aon Benfield, a global reinsurance firm, said that “any increasing trend in these type of rainfall events is highly concerning.”

Scientists and meteorologists have been quick to attribute the storm to climate change. But if climate change is occurring, what is behind it? Our free booklet Why ‘Natural’ Disasters? explains the primary cause of catastrophic weather. Read it to find out more.