![]() This week, officials told reporters that only 30 percent of a flood mitigation project started after the 2016 disaster had been finished. It seems like there's nowhere else for the water to go," said Guan Yang, an electrical engineer who moved to a relatively new townhouse development above Ellicott City's downtown two years ago.Īfter 2016's flash flood, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman had the county's planning department to draft a master plan to prevent future disasters. "These hills just feed the downtown with water. Even some people living in the townhouse complexes at the top of the hill know there's something wrong. It's another thing when a million gallons of runoff comes racing down the hill."ĭuring the most torrential rains, the Tiber and Hudson tributaries of the Patapsco River roar together, bursting over culverts twisting through the heart of downtown, fueled by stormwater runoff. "It's one thing when water gradually rises when it rains. "The unbridled development is a scandal," said Steve McKenna, who lives within walking distance of the freshly ravaged Main Street. Searchers scouring the Patapsco River near the historic town said Tuesday, May 29, that they have found Hermond's body. This undated photo provided by Howard County Police Department shows Eddison Alexander Hermond, who was reported missing Sunday, May 27, 2018, following torrential rains and flash flooding in Ellicott City, Md. They note that the old town's vulnerabilities have increased as housing developments were built in hills above, removing critical protections against flooding and increasing the amount of impervious surfaces. Locals who can remember still talk about the one that deluged the town in 1972.īut the recent destructive floods are different, many locals say. There was a devastating flood in 1868 that killed at least 43 people. And maybe we're never going to see Old Ellicott City again," said resident Sahil Saini, standing outside a community center doubling as a shelter.įlooding is hardly new for historic Ellicott City, a onetime home to mill workers that transformed into a tourist hub known for its restaurants, antique shops and nightlife. "Who would have thought this was going to happen in two years? But it happened again. Miller said.Exasperated locals, just starting the strenuous task of picking up the pieces from Sunday's disaster, are calling for authorities to energetically focus on finding a permanent stormwater solution for Ellicott City's downtown district, situated in a ravine some 13 miles (20 kilometers) west of Baltimore. ![]() Its location in the Patapsco River Valley and its position on a granite bedrock make it susceptible to flooding “with terrific force,” Mr. I just don’t think I can start all over again.”įounded in 1772 as a mill town, Ellicott City has for the past several decades catered to tourists with its historical charm and antique shops. “During the flood two years ago, I almost lost everything. “I’ve owned that shop for 38 years,” she said. She tried to call loved ones using her waterlogged cellphone. She was later transported to the Howard County Police Headquarters. With waters rising, she said, she climbed through a third-floor window of that shop, then sought shelter in a stranger’s home. ![]() ![]() Tennant, who lives in an apartment above her store, left her cat behind and escaped to another shop across the street once her basement began to flood. “I was putting sandbags in front of the shop doors, watching the street flooding out front, thinking, Wow, I don’t think those street drains are keeping up.” Sally Fox Tennant, the owner of Discoveries, a craft and jewelry shop, said she felt “completely numb” and in shock. To see the damage on Sunday was “heartbreaking and devastating,” Mr. The flooding in 2016 caused catastrophic damage, but 96 percent of the businesses downtown rebuilt and reopened. ![]()
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