Mount Pleasant, S.C. ? Tropical Storm Gaston sloshed ashore in South Carolina Sunday with near hurricane-force winds, spinning sheets of rain that flooded roads as the storm knocked out power to thousands of people.

Gaston made landfall near McClellanville, a small fishing village that was brushed by Hurricane Charley earlier this month when it came ashore for a second time after devastating southwest Florida.

Gov. Mark Sanford declared a state of emergency Sunday and encouraged residents to stay in their homes so damage-assessment crews and utility and cleanup workers could do their work.

As much as 10 inches of rain fell in Charleston County, and a flash-flood watch was in effect along some parts of the coast. Hundreds of residents were urged to evacuate ahead of the storm.

Hours after the eye of Gaston came ashore, steady sheets of rain drenched Mount Pleasant. Tree limbs littered flooded roadways, some of which were impassable. Palmettos were pushed to the pavement.

Across the harbor in Charleston, Gaston flooded streets and toppled power poles. At least 125,000 people were without power at the height of the storm.

The rain tapered off along the coast by midday, but blustery wind still raked the coastline near Charleston, and intersections throughout the area had no traffic lights.

“The important thing is that we don’t have any false sense of safety that it’s all over,” said Charleston Mayor Joseph Riley Jr. “We have downed trees, and often times there are power lines under those downed trees.”

By evening, Gaston was moving north about 8 mph across inland South Carolina, weakening along the way but still packing wind gusts as high as 82 mph.

From left, J.P. Noble sits on a park bench with his father, Phil, as Noah Smith and Alex Abrams kayak with Noah's dog Radio after streets were flooded in Charleston, S.C. Tropical Storm Gaston splashed onto shore Sunday, and more than 100,000 people lost their power.

Charleston County officials said there was only one initial report of a serious injury — a resident injured when a tree fell on a home.

“It just goes to show that the residents took the proper precautions that they needed to take and shows they were prepared,” said Roland Windham, the Charleston County administrator.

Residents in low-lying areas in Charleston and Georgetown counties were urged to move to higher ground before the storm hit. Authorities also asked people living in mobile homes to evacuate.

“We hope we don’t experience any more injuries during the cleanup,” Windham said. “That’s typically when you see a lot of injuries occur.”

John Legare of the state Emergency Management agency said about 30 people had sought refuge in five shelters in coastal counties.

Sassy, a tea-cup Yorkshire terrier, waits in the wind and rain from Tropical Storm Gaston for his owner, Debbie Ray, in Garden City Beach, S.C.

Gaston had maximum sustained winds of 70 mph when it hit land but was down to 45 mph by early afternoon. Forecasters said the weakened storm could reach North Carolina by Sunday night.

By mid-afternoon, bands of rain had reached North Carolina. No flooding was reported, but strong winds tore the roof from a house in Laurinburg, officials said.