COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina was expecting sunshine Tuesday after days of inundation, but it will still take weeks for the state to return to normal after being pummeled by a historic rainstorm.

Even as the rain tapered off, officials warned of the likelihood of new evacuations — such as one ordered Monday afternoon in one of two towns east of downtown Columbia where two dams were breached.

The governor warned communities downstream that a mass of water was working its way through waterways toward the low-lying coast — bringing the potential for more flooding and more displaced residents.

“This is not over. Just because the rain stops does not mean that we are out of the woods,” Gov. Nikki Haley said Monday.

South Carolina’s geography and poor spending on infrastructure left several town and cities like islands after roads washed out and creeks topped bridges.

One of those cut-off communities was Manning, the county seat of Clarendon County, about 60 miles southeast of Columbia.

“I fear the worst is to come. We have a power substation under water. No telling when that thing gets fixed,” Clarendon County Sheriff Randy Garrett said Monday.

Water distribution remained a key problem for Columbia, with as many as 40,000 homes lacking water service. The rest of the city’s 375,000 water customers have been told to boil the water for at least one minute before using it for drinking or cooking.

Mayor Steve Benjamin said Tuesday that the order is likely to be in effect for “quite some time.” The city was planning to open more water distribution centers.

Meanwhile, storm water continuing to drain through the area remained a concern.

“We still have some infrastructure issues. We still have water coming down from the Upstate,” Benjamin said.

On Monday, officials brought bottled water and portable restrooms for 31,000 students at the University of South Carolina, and firefighters used trucks and pumps to ferry hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to Palmetto Health Baptist Hospital.

At least 11 weather-related deaths in South Carolina and two in North Carolina were blamed on the vast rainstorm, including those of six people who drowned in their cars in Columbia alone. A solid week of rainfall also sent about 1,000 to shelters.

Much-feared Hurricane Joaquin missed the East Coast, but fueled what experts at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration called a “fire hose” of tropical moisture that aimed directly at the state. By Monday, the heaviest rains had moved into the mid-Atlantic states, but not before making history in South Carolina.