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U.S. NEWS Tuesday 29 May 2018

Rescuers seek 1 man still missing after Maryland flash flood

By DAVID McFADDEN floodwaters.
Associated Press Sunday’s dramatic flooding
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (AP) — tore up streets and swept
A man remained missing away dozens of parked
Monday after flash flooding cars in the city, which sits in
tore down a historic main a ravine on the west bank
street in a picturesque of the Patapsco River,
Maryland town and left a about 13 miles (20 kilome-
community heartbroken at ters) west of Baltimore.
seeing more devastation Mike Muccilli, a meteo-
less than two years after re- rologist with the National
building from another mas- Weather Service in Sterling,
sive flood. Virginia, has said it was too
The missing man — 39-year- early to make comparisons
old Eddison Hermond of between the two floods.
Severn, Maryland — was But he said both were dev-
last seen trying to help a astating. In the July 2016
woman rescue her cat storm, Ellicott City received
behind a restaurant while 6.6 inches (17 centimeters)
churning, brown waters of rain over a two- to three-
ripped through Ellicott hour period. On Sunday,
City’s flood-prone down- the community received
town. some 8 inches (20.32 cen-
Howard County Police timeters) of rain over a six-
Chief Gary Gardner said hour period, but most of it
the missing National Guard fell during an intense, three-
member and U.S. Air Force A damaged vehicle swept away by floodwaters stops by a utility pole in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, hour period, Muccilli said.
veteran had been with a May 27, 2018. “In a normal heavy rain
group at the La Palapa Associated Press event, you wouldn’t see
Grill & Cantina. He said Her- to rebuild from the devas- eas that were not even back. this amount of flooding,
mond was trying to help tating flooding that rav- damaged at all two years Local resident Nathan where you see cars float-
others by holding a door aged the former mill town ago terribly damaged this Sowers, owner of the River ing down the road,” Muc-
open as brown floodwa- in July 2016. time.” House Pizza Co., an out- cilli said. “This was a true
ters coursed through the Howard County Executive Ellicott City certainly got door eatery in the old mill flash flood.” Ellicott City has
restaurant when a woman Allan Kittleman said that the worst of it. But torren- town’s business district, been methodically rebuild-
approached, desperately his immediate priorities are tial rains led to such bad said that after all the hard ing since the 2016 flooding
trying to rescue her pet just finding the missing man flooding in Baltimore Coun- work rebuilding from the damaged and destroyed
outside. and assessing the condition ty, Baltimore City and the destructive 2016 flood he’s businesses. Local officials
“He, along with some other of damaged buildings that capital of Annapolis that feeling a bit overwhelmed recently said 96 percent of
folks, went back to assist housed shops, restaurants Gov. Larry Hogan on Sun- at the prospect of tackling the businesses were back in
her and unfortunately dur- and families. day declared a state of yet another revival. operation and more than
ing that effort they saw him For now, the Main Street emergency statewide in Asked whether he’s com- 20 new businesses had
go under and water and area remained blocked order to better coordinate mitted to building back again opened in the Main
not surface,” Gardner told off Monday, even to resi- support and assistance. anew he said: “We’ll see. It Street area. Just two weeks
reporters, adding that the dents and business owners, With floodwaters receded takes a lot of money and a ago, Hogan announced
others made it out of the as teams of authorities and Monday, revealing the lot of time.” that the Federal Emergen-
area safely. engineers surveyed the damage in Ellicott City, resi- But Sowers also said he saw cy Management Agency
Simon Cortes, who owns heartbreaking mess. dents and business owners other hard-hit locals laugh- had awarded the state
the restaurant, described “If you look at the devas- could see the scope of the ing and joking about their and county more than $1
Hermond as “a super nice tation and the damage, next challenge ahead of troubles Monday morning million to pay for projects
guy,” who was frequently I would certainly say it’s them: They face another — a good sign the Mary- aimed at reducing the
out in the community show- worse than 2016,” Kittle- mammoth cleanup and land town will launch yet flood risk in areas around
ing support when it worked man said. “We’ve had ar- another daunting come- another rebirth from raging Main Street.q