event as the death toll continues to climb this morning, now at seven. nick valencia is joining me from columbia, south carolina. reporter: no exaggeration when we say it is a desperate and dire situation for the state of south carolina. this rain has been relentless, nonstop. just when you think you re getting the slightest bit of relief, that rain picks back up and intensifies. people have had to be rescued by boat here. 600 national guard troops at the ready. earlier we caught up with the mayor of column bee, yeah south carolina, who said the situation here is a desperate one. it s dire. we continue to work together. i will tell you we couldn t have had greater support from federal government, our u.s. army base here at ft. jackson. our governor is leading on this issue. all the local law enforcement, national guard folks working together. the primary mission of preserving human life, we re working, of course, every single day to preserve property. property can be replaced.