When an Ellicott City toyshop owner saw rushing flood water had trapped a woman in her auto, he decided he had no choice but to get in the water and help.
Advertisement
As the auto got stuck in front of the building, the group chose to form a human chain to rescue the woman. On Monday, the man who wiped out but wouldn’t give up got to meet the woman he carried to safety.
Between 7:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. EDT Saturday, 6.5 inches worth of rain fell, destroying buildings, sidewalks and sweeping away cars and people in the city of 65,000 that is approximately 14 miles west of Baltimore. The two people killed, 35-year-old Jessica Watsula of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and 38-year-old Joseph Blevins of Windsor Mill, Maryland, were both in vehicles that were overcome by floodwaters, according to officials.
In addition to damage to businesses, county officials said about 180 vehicles were towed. The woman’s body was recovered from the river overnight.
According to new reports, Watsula dropped her 10-year-old daughter at her brother’s home then went to Ellicott City with her mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law for dinner.
Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman, who thanked Mikulski for her quick response and assurances of federal aid, said a task force has spent several million dollars to mitigate storm water in recent years, but that little could have prevented the deluge.
“It was the scariest thing I’ve ever seen in my entire life”, he said.
In the video, you see the man try to reach the woman in the black Volkswagon Beetle, but it wasn’t easy.
A submerged vehicle is visible in the Patapsco River, seen from the Howard County side of Patapsco Valley State Park after the sidewalk caved in due to Saturday nights flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, July 31, 2016. “There are a lot of businesses that are going to be hurting for a long time”.
Kelly Secret’s hometown of Ellicott City, Md., was torn apart by severe floods Saturday evening.
“Everything funneled toward that Main Street area”.
He also points out that much of the damage has been borne by small business owners, some of whom live above their stores and haven’t been able to return home.
He said he’s been amazed by all the support people have offered to him.
Advertisement
Large parts of Maryland are facing one of the worst thunderstorms in decades, prompting Gov. Larry Hogan to sign a declaration of a state of emergency in Ellicott City, Howard County – one of the areas hit hardest by the floods. “The water rapidly built up and took the path of least resistance, which happened to be Main Street, a steep and narrow road”.
