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Human chain saves woman trapped in vehicle in raging floods

A pastor says a woman killed by flash flood waters in Ellicott City, Maryland, was the single mother of a 10-year-old girl.

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Ellicot City, which lies 14 miles west of Baltimore, was established in 1772 as a mill town alongside the Patapsco River.

Virtually every home or business along Main Street sustained at least some damage, and the cost of repairs could reach the hundreds of millions of dollars, he said.

In the clip shot by her husband Dave, a man attempts to go to the aid of the stranded woman but is swept away by the water. He signed an executive order Sunday morning, declaring a state of emergency.

She wrote: “Still Life Gallery is closed until further notice due to the massive devastating floods on Main Street in Historic Elliott City on the evening of July 30”.

“It is possible that some people may be found in cars or buildings. We will become a stronger, better community because that’s who we are”.

Kittleman said the devastation was the worst he’d seen in 50 years living in the county, including Hurricane Agnes in 1972, which caused the river to overflow. “The water rapidly built up and took the path of least resistance, which happened to be Main Street, a steep and narrow road”. Flooding in Houston in April killed eight people.

“I’ve never seen anything like this, ever”, Healy said.

Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford said Monday officials are still assessing the damage so they can give information to the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The torrent of water swept through the downtown area, washing way some 170 vehicles and substantially damaging 30 buildings, four completely.

He said Christina told him the women climbed out of the vehicle and grabbed a utility pole but Christina couldn’t hold on. He says many structures, sidewalks and roadways are still unstable and it’s not clear when people will be allowed to return. “We are providing security 24-7 in that area to make sure no one goes in those homes or businesses”, he said.

Almost six inches of rain fell there within a two-hour period, which equals roughly the amount of rain the area normally gets in a month, according to WUSA-TV.

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Severely damaged were antique shops, restaurants, a toy store and a beloved bar steps from the Patapsco River that local officials say opened their doors to feed rescue crews who responded to a fatal train derailment, the small city’s last disaster.

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