Government declares state of emergency as flood damage Maryland community
Governor of Maryland, United States of America, Larry Hogan, on Sunday declared state of emergency as flood damaged Ellicott City where two people were reported dead and over 100 rescued from the incident.
Six inches of rain fell in Ellicott City in three hours, causing “tremendous devastation,” Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said Sunday morning. He said in a statement that 120 people had to be rescued.
A man and a woman were killed in separate incidents, Howard County press secretary Andy Barth said. No details about the man were given, but Barth said the woman was swept away by flood waters. It was unclear whether she was in a car at the time.
“The devastation is quite remarkable. I’ve done this a lot, and I’ve never seen it like this,” Barth said.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan surveyed the damage Sunday morning and declared a state of emergency in the county. “We’re going to bring in whatever equipment, whatever manpower they need from every single department,” he said.
Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford also traveled to Howard County on Sunday. “It looks like a movie disaster scene,” Rutherford said.
The city’s historic Main Street area suffered some of the worst destruction, Kittleman said. Howard County Fire & EMS said Sunday morning that the street would remain closed until further notice and that people should avoid the area because of gas leaks and downed power lines.
“Many buildings have significant damage. A lot of cars were damaged — there were cars floating down there, as I heard,” Kittleman told the NBC station WBAL of Baltimore.
Kittleman declared a state of emergency for Howard County. The county opened a community center as a shelter for people who were displaced. The National Weather Service warned of a flash flood emergency in Howard County and areas southwest of Baltimore.
There was also flooding in Baltimore. The Fire Department said that one person who was trapped was rescued and that three others were helped out of standing water.
