Woman rescues pizza from flooded apartment

A US woman has managed to grab her most precious possessions before fleeing a flash flood – her dog and two takeaway pizzas.

Angela Williams, from Columbia, South Carolina, had only 10 minutes to make an escape from her apartment after the town was smashed by torrential rain, WIS-TV reports/.

"It gushed in like the ocean was coming in the house," Ms Williams said.

"I didn’t grab nothing but two Totino’s pizzas out of the (refrigerator) and my doggy, and we left. That’s it. I tried to grab some other things, but it wasn’t even worth it."

The downpour has killed three people and been called a "once in a 1000 year" event by South Carolina governor Nikki Haley.

Parts of the state have been hit by more than 60cm worth of rains in 24 hours.