The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded the state $1,044,224 for flood-mitigation efforts in Ellicott City. Larry Hogan has declared a state of emergency for the area, which he visited and to which he promised “every bit of assistance we possibly can.”Įllicott City was on its way back just a few weeks ago. “To be in some of the same buildings two years later doing the same exact thing, seeing the same exact damage, makes it a little bit difficult,” said Jeff Carl, who handles special operations for the county. The officer was “carried down” by the waters, the chief said, and was eventually able to pull himself to safety near the train bridge.Īt least one first responder shared in the collective feeling of déjà vu. That officer was helping a family evacuate a structure on lower Main Street when the water rapidly rose from knee level to chest level. In dealing with all those calls for aid, one officer had his own brush with death, Gardner said. Howard County’s 911 center handled 1,100 calls from about 4 to 10 p.m., said county police Chief Gary Gardner. Firefighters also had to contend with two fires that might have been ignited by a lightning strike. Swift water units from Northern Virginia and elsewhere helped with the rescue efforts. Twenty-four to 30 of those were water rescues. Sunday, at the height of the flooding.Ĭounty first responders assisted about 300 residents impacted by Sunday’s storm, Fire Chief John Butler said Monday. Hermond was reported missing to police at 12:30 a.m., but he had not been seen since about 5:20 p.m. He had been trying to help find a cat as the waters rose. Showers or storms are in the forecast Wednesday through Saturday.Īs of Monday afternoon, officials said they were still in “active rescue mode.” One man remained missing: 39-year-old Eddison Hermond, an active member of the Army National Guard. “They have gone through hell to get where they are today before this flood,” Kittleman said of the historic district’s business owners, “and now they’re facing it all again.”Īnd even more flooding is possible for the water-logged D.C. John Sarbanes, a Democrat representing Maryland’s 3rd District. “People were just getting to where they could catch their breath, and then here comes another flood and upends their lives in devastating ways,” said Rep. That location worsened the impact of Sunday’s heavy rains, Storm Team4 Meteorologist Somara Theodore said.įor a city in shock, more difficult days lie ahead. It was worse,” he said.Įllicott City is positioned in a valley between two major streams in the Patapsco River. John Weinstein, a Howard County Council member and 20-year resident of an area uphill from downtown, said he had never seen flooding as bad as Sunday’s. “We had flooding in my neighborhood - never seen it before. “It’s just that you can’t get that much done in 22 months, but we were well on our way to getting those facilities put together.” … Since 2016 in 22 months, we have done a lot of effort to get moving. “When you have rain coming down as high as 8 inches or more over a certain period of time, terrible things happen. “I think Ellicott City was as prepared as it could be,” he told reporters about efforts following the 2016 flood. Rushing waters again turned the Howard County city’s main street into a raging river Sunday, and the damage was far worse than it was less than two years ago.Įfforts were underway to prevent another flood like the one that killed two on July 30, 2016, but Sunday’s rains were unusually severe, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said during a news conference Monday afternoon.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |