“The flood waters have receded, but the real work has just begun, and we will continue to work with Howard County and Ellicott City officials to provide the resources necessary for an effective recovery and rebuilding”, said Governor Hogan. Experts warn that it takes just six inches of fast moving water to knock down an able-bodied adult and just two feet of water to lift up and carry away a vehicle.
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“Flooding is an understatement”, said one of the callers in the 10-plus minutes of conversations released Wednesday.
Even in distress, one woman considered the needs of strangers. “The water is above the door and is coming in the building”.
“What’s happening?”, the 911 dispatcher asked.
“The floor’s buckling.[and] we can feel the ceiling crumbling”, said the caller from Bean Hollow, who was heard screaming as the floor broke underfoot. The group was eventually able to get to an upper level of the building. She toured Main Street in Ellicott City, where catastrophic flooding devastated local businesses and claimed two lives.
In another call, a person calls from a restaurant along Main Street reporting that people are stuck on an upper floor. When the water went down, they walked out to find incredible damage.
And this morning, the Howard County Government announced on Facebook that it’s opened a “one stop shop” where people impacted by the flood can get information about organizations that can offer assistance.
A 35-year-old mother, Jessica Watsula, and 38-year-old father of three, Joseph Anthony Blevins, were both killed when their vehicles were struck by shoulder-deep floodwaters, carrying them off.
Barnes said he went outside in time to see his auto being swept away by the floodwaters. Everyone in the vehicle managed to get out.
A man walking a trail discovered Blevins’ body washed up on shore near Ilchester Road about 8:30 a.m., police said. She asked first responders to help others first because she said she and others at Ellicott Mills Brewing Company were OK.
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Video from the scene shows cars being swept away in roads that look like rivers. Kittleman called the Maryland flash flood a bad and horrific incident that looks like a warzone, Today News reported. Flash floods were also reported in Wayne, New Jersey, and a flash flood watch was issued for parts of Pennsylvania and central and northern New Jersey.
