Official ‘heartbroken’ by flood devastation
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (AP) — A Maryland official, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman, says authorities aren’t aware of any fatalities or missing people after a devastating flash flood struck a community in that state.
Kittleman spoke at an outdoor news conference after Sunday’s flooding in Ellicott City, Maryland. He says he toured the historic county seat after the flash flood receded and was “heartbroken” by seeing it so severely damaged again since flooding in 2016. As he spoke, Maryland Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford put a comforting hand on Kittleman’s back.
Kittleman says he considers the damage worse than the flooding two summers ago that claimed two lives.
Of the city’s residents and business owners, Kittleman says “they are faced with the same daunting task again.” But he says: “We will be there for them as we were in 2016.”
Gov. Larry Hogan also toured the area and promised “every bit of assistance we possibly can” to Ellicott City. Says Hogan: “They say this is a once every 1,000-year flood and we’ve had two of them in two years.”