Governor declares State of Emergency.
Ellicott City, Md (KM) Two people are dead following flooding Saturday night in historic Elliot City in Howard County. The flooding followed heavy rains which sent water down Main Street.
This man, whose from Marriottsville, told TV station WJZ that it was the worst since Tropical Storm Agnes in 1972. “It’s amazing to see the devastation happen that quickly. Agnes was over in a few days,” he said.
His wife also spoke with WJZ-TV. “We live with a hill behind us. We were horrified because we have stone steps going up. The water was pouring. It was taking away the dirt and going around trees, and the roots were showing,” she said.
Videos of the flooding posted on social media show water rushing through the town, tossing cars, destroying storefronts and leaving behind massive sinkholes.
Emily Frosch was having diner in an Italian restaurant in Ellicott City with her husband at the time of the flood. “We were on the second floor of the restaurant, heard a lot of noise, people walked over–we were actually right near the window– walked over to look out, and just saw this torrent of muddy water just rushing with an unbelievable force, pulling parked cars, debris, people,” she told the Baltimore Sun in a video posted on its website.
Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman toured Ellicott City Saturday night following the flooding, and posted a video on Facebook. “We’ve had six-inches of rain in about three hours. Been told we had 4.5-inches of rain in just one hour of that three-hour period,” he said. ” Tremendous devastation in Ellicott City. A lot of businesses have been significantly damaged.”
Also taking the tour was Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford, who said the destruction looked like a scene from a disaster movie.
Howard County Delegate Bob Flanagan accompanied Kittleman and Rutherford. “There was tremendous damage. It looks like some buildings may be unstable,” he said.
Gov. Larry Hogan signed an executive order on Sunday morning, declaring Howard County a disaster area. “We are coordinating all available resources to address this emergency as quickly as possible,” he said in a statement. “Our Administration is working closely with local officials, including Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman , to respond to this major storm event.”
The Governor took a tour of Ellicott City on Sunday to survey the damage for himself.
County Executive Kittleman asked his constituents to stay strong following the flooding. “It’s going to take a while, folks. It’s not going to happen overnight. Please be patient with us,” he said.
Ellicott City is prone to flooding, and has flooded several times in the past. It’s located along the Patapsco River with steep hillside and rock outcroppings on all sides.