COLUMBIA, S.C. — After rainfall and floods of almost biblical proportions, South Carolina is seeing a plague of mosquitoes. Now, lawmakers from both parties agree exterminating them must be a priority.

There’s bipartisan support for killing the tiny bloodsuckers that have been tormenting residents following last month’s historic rainfall that flooded several areas. Lawmakers said Thursday they want the federal government to pay for the anti-mosquito campaign, but if it doesn’t, the state should consider picking up the tab.

The total price tag for all counties that are part of the federal emergency declaration is estimated at $39 million, according to South Carolina’s Emergency Management Division. But lawmakers said rural areas can’t afford the hefty $1.5 million per-county estimate for aerial spraying. Yet they’re concerned about health risks.

Richland County, also home to the state capital Columbia, is paying to spray rural parts of the hard-hit county this week, where the “landing rate” has reached more than 60 per minute. That’s far more than the four or five landings normal for this time of year, vector control director Tammy Brewer said.

Several days of record-setting downpours in early October claimed 19 lives in the Carolinas, flooded hundreds of homes and businesses, and temporarily shut down hundreds of roads.