Columbia Marriott has since apologised and has broken its no-pet policy

A family of five who lost their home due to the Hurricane Joaquin floods were refused access to a hotel because they had two dogs and a cat with them.

J Britt, his partner and three kids, had to flee their home as the storms hit Columbia in South Carolina.

They went, with their two dogs and one cat in cages, to the Columbia Marriott for a safe place to stay.

However, management at the hotel said they had a strict no-pet policy and the family would not be allowed in.

Mr Britt and his family were forced to drive around 'terrified' in dangerous conditions to find somewhere to stay, before being welcomed at the Sheraton Columbia Downtown Hotel.

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J Britt, his partner and three kids, had to flee their home as storms hit Columbia, South Carolina

Flooded cars are parked at an apartment complex in Columbia, South Carolina

Satellite dishes and old pay telephones are shown in the parking lot of a flooded apartment building in Columbia

The director of operations at the University of South Carolina took to Facebook to have a sarcastic rant on Columbia Marriot's page.

His post has since gone viral and resulted in the hotel to break its policy to help people affected by the severe weather.

In Mr Britt's naming and shaming post, he said: 'Big shout out to Columbia Marriot and their lovely manager Lauren Olivia and general manager Jeff Kaplan.

'It was probably pretty obvious my family of five was distressed after the emergency evacuation of our house a few hours back when Gills Creek started to sweep it away.

'But your strict adherence to your corporate pet policy was admirable. I appreciated you explaining to me in a very condescending customer-service kind of tone about your pet policy even tho (sic) I was trying to just get my family into a safe place so I could go back and check on my neighbors.

'Our two dogs and one cat (in cages BTW) and my three kids who've just lost their home appreciated having to go back out in incredibly dangerous conditions so you didn't break policy.

'After a nerve racking drive around town terrified that we'd get stuck in standing water and die, we finally found someone at the Sheraton Columbia Downtown Hotel who actually had some human decency.

'They were far more concerned with our crisis than petty policies, and got all of them to safety.

'Great work Lauren and Jeff! We'll be talking again soon! We're all in this together, right?'

Mr Britt took to Facebook to have a sarcastic rant on Columbia Marriot's page and his post has since gone viral

Mr Britt and his family were forced to drive around 'terrified' in dangerous conditions to find somewhere to stay, before being welcomed at the Sheraton Columbia Downtown Hotel

Mr Britt and his family were forced to drive around 'terrified' in dangerous conditions to find somewhere to stay, before being welcomed at the Sheraton Columbia Downtown Hotel

South Carolina experienced a record rainfall, with at least 11.5 inches falling on Saturday

The Facebook post went viral on the internet, with people slamming the staff at the hotel for refusing the family entry.

Later the hotel was forced into an apology, saying it had now changed its stance on the matter.

On its official Facebook page, the Columbia Marriott said: 'Our thoughts and prayers are with all impacted by the flooding that has resulted from the recent severe weather.

'As such, we have modified our no-pet policy and prepared our team to prepare for your family, including pets, for the next 7 days.

'We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience we may have caused guests looking for pet permissible accommodations prior to this change.'

Pictured is the Columbia Marriot where Mr Britt and his family were refused entry to because they had their pets with them

Mr Britt's rant has resulted in the hotel to now break its policy to help people affected by the severe weather

The Congaree River, swollen with floodwaters, flows under the Gervais Street bridge in West Columbia

The rainstorm drenching the east coast brought more misery to South Carolina, cutting power to thousands, forcing hundreds of water rescues and closing many roads because of floodwaters

Joaquin has killed seven people in Carolina, destroyed houses and cars, uprooted trees and unleashed heavy flooding as it hurled torrents of rain and strong winds in The Caribbean and east coast of the USA.

South Carolina experienced a record rainfall, with at least 11.5 inches falling on Saturday.

The rainstorm drenching the east coast brought more misery to the region, cutting power to thousands, forcing hundreds of water rescues and closing many roads because of floodwaters.

At the weekend the storm was centered about 500 miles (805 kilometers) southwest of Bermuda and was moving northeast at 17 mph (28 kph).

It strengthened again into a Category 4 storm with maximum sustained winds of 150 mph (240 kph), according to the U.S. National Hurricane Center.

The storm is expected to lose strength in upcoming days, but a tropical storm warning and a hurricane watch were issued for Bermuda.

The eye of Joaquin was expected to pass west of Bermuda, but the storm still might veer closer to the island, forecasters warned.