RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - The latest on drenching storms threatening the East Coast. All times local:

8:10 a.m.

Heavy rains have flooded and closed streets in South Carolina as the East Coast braces for drenching storms.

Thursday's flooding and closures were centered in Spartanburg County, including part of Interstate 95 Business just north of Spartanburg.

Doug Bryson with Spartanburg County Emergency Management told local news outlets that one man was rescued Thursday morning after his vehicle was swept off the road where a culvert had washed out. The man managed to cling to a tree and was taken to a hospital for treatment.

There was no immediate word on his condition.

The coroner's office says one person died after several vehicles were submerged early Thursday under a bridge where flooding often occurs. The victim's name has not been released.

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7:45 a.m.

Officials in South Carolina say one person has died in street flooding in Spartanburg as the East Coast braces for drenching storms.

Spartanburg County Coroner Rusty Clevenger tells local news outlets the death occurred early Thursday when several cars were submerged in flash floods.

The victim's name hasn't been released.

The South Carolina Highway Patrol is investigating. Troopers say several cars were trapped briefly under a bridge where flooding often occurs during heavy rain.

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4:40 a.m.

Governors up and down the East Coast are warning residents to prepare for drenching storms that could cause power outages and close more roads in a region already walloped by rain.

Recent downpours have forced people from their homes and closed schools, and forecasters are calling for several more inches of rain in coming days - regardless of what happens with Hurricane Joaquin, which is spinning off the coast.

The U.S. National Hurricane Center says depending on its path, Joaquin could intensify the storms' damage.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo was among the officials urging residents to take precautions, saying: "Our state has seen the damage that extreme weather can cause time and time again."