“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.
Business & Finance Click to expand menu."Right now we're focusing on people's lives. The focus is on rescue and recovery, he said. He declined to answer a reporter's question about what could have been done differently to minimize the damage. Kittleman said state and county resources would be made available to those who want to rebuild again. "It's just devastating because people have their lives tied up in this and went through a heck of a lot and came back and now they're starting all over again." He lamented the destruction, noting that just two weeks earlier, he had visited the historic downtown and spoken with business owners about rebuilding efforts. Hogan toured the area Sunday with Kittleman. The Roger Carter Community Center is open for those who need a place to shelter. Howard County Fire and EMS urged residents to evacuate downtown or move to higher ground while rescue teams swarmed the area. Upwards of six inches of rain have fallen in the area so far, and another cell capable of dumping two to four inches is moving in from the west.Ĭlose to 8 p.m., a Howard County Sheriff's deputy moved a CNN crew and others in the area due to a suspected gas leak. The National Weather Service issued a flash flood warning for northeastern Anne Arundel County and southeastern Howard County through 12:45 a.m. Located in the valley of the Patapsco River, a major waterway flowing to Chesapeake Bay, it's known for its flood-prone location as much as its historic downtown. "It's heartbreaking." Advisories in effectĮllicott City is an unincorporated community about 12 miles west of Baltimore. The city rallied around the slogan "Elliott City Strong." Many businesses had just finished rebuilding, Kittleman said. The disaster left two dead and damaged dozens of buildings. The devastation was especially hard to comprehend coming barely two years after the last flood that ravaged the city, he said. In case it’s not clear yet, stay away from Main Street.
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