Published: July 31,2016
A torrent of floodwaters swept through Ellicott City, Maryland, Saturday night sweeping cars away, damaging buildings, and prompting water rescues.
Howard County officials confirmed the death of a second victim on Sunday afternoon, according to the Associated Press.
County Executive Allan Kittleman said the body of a man had been recovered. The news came hours after a woman's body was found earlier Sunday. Both were found in the Patapsco River.
One of the victims was swept away by the floodwaters while walking. The second victim was carried away by raging waters after abandoning a stranded vehicle with another passenger, who survived, police chief Gary Gardner said in a press conference.
Kittleman says everyone else who was thought to be missing has been accounted for.
Floods Devastate Main Street in Baltimore Suburb
On Sunday morning Andy Barth, spokesman for Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman, told weather.com that one fatality had been confirmed in the flooding Saturday night. At least 120 residents had to be rescued amid the disaster.
"It's going to take a while to assess everything, there is a lot of damage," Barth said.
Cars after the floodwaters receded. (Instagram/@typhoidmatt)Barth confirmed that gas service had been turned off in the downtown area and it is unclear how long it will be before it is restored.
Hoffman said there is extensive structure damage to multiple businesses, residential areas, along with sidewalks and streets. He said some business owners may come back on Sunday to find they have lost everything.
"We are inspecting that now, but really there is pretty extensive damage around the entirety of Main Street," he said.
Later on Sunday, Kittleman told AP the damage sustained during the flooding Saturday night was the worst in at least 50 years and possibly the worst in the 244-year-old town's history.
He estimated that the cost of repairs could reach the hundreds of million of dollars.
Government Response
Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman declared a state of emergency due to the flooding, allowing access to state resources. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan arrived in Ellicott City early Sunday morning and praised local emergency response while promising the state would do what it could to assist in the recovery efforts.
Hogan signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency in Howard County, beginning Sunday, July 31 at 10 a.m.
Despite the destruction, Hogan also remarked on the heroism of locals amid a disaster that will likely go down as the worst in the suburb's history.
“There were incredible rescues ... people being rescued out of cars with human chains reaching from restaurants to try to get people out of cars," Hogan said. "A lot of heroes last night that saved a lot of lives."
Floods severely damaged property and vehicles on Main Street in Ellicott City, Maryland on Saturday night (Office of Lt. Gov. Boyd Rutherford)
"This disaster is far worse than I thought it was," Cummings told The Weather Channel. "Safety is number one and I hope people will keep that in mind. Even people who want to come down here and look at this, I beg them to do exactly what the police said, kind of stay away, because this is without a doubt a very hazardous area."
The flooding was the result of slow-moving thunderstorms in the region. More than 6 inches of rain fell in Ellicott City in a short period of time.
A rise of more than 13 feet was recorded on the Patapsco River in Ellicott City in a few hours time Saturday evening. Record flooding was recorded by two gauges on the Patapsco River downstream from Ellicott City in Catonsville and near Elkridge.
Howard County Fire and Rescue tweeted multiple closures due to flooding, including Centennial Park, which will be closed until after damage assessment can be completed.
Major #flooding in Ellicott City, MD reported by Scott Weaver.
Those in need of temporary shelter in the Ellicott City area are advised to go to the Bain 50+ Center, located at 5470 Ruth Keeton Way, Columbia, Maryland.
Hoffman said the government in the next couple of hours will go through some briefings to see what the next course of action will be.
The National Weather Service had issued a flash flood emergency due to the severe flooding.
MORE: Ellicott City Flooding July 30,2016
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