The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency for Ellicott City, Maryland, on Sunday, nearly two years after deadly flooding ravaged the Howard County city. Gov. Larry Hogan also declared a state of emergency. Massive flooding in the area after heavy rains caused Main Street to close. Officials urged residents to seek higher ground and avoid the area.

WASHINGTON — Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency following massive flooding in Ellicott City on Sunday.

I have spoken to Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman & am currently heading to Ellicott City. I have directed @MDMEMA to assist in any capacity possible, and numerous other state agencies are providing support. I have declared a State of Emergency. #ECFlood #HoCoMd — Governor Larry Hogan (@GovLarryHogan) May 27, 2018

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood emergency. Officials urged residents to seek higher ground immediately.

NBC Washington’s Darcy Spencer told WTOP that people were trapped in buildings on Main Street and downtown Ellicott City.

Spencer also said as of 9 p.m. Sunday, there were no reported fatalities.

The Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services tweeted that multiple rescues were carried out, and rescue swimmers were called in to help. The department also said swift water units from as far away as Northern Virginia were coming to help.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency had awarded the state $1,044,224 for flood-mitigation efforts in Ellicott City earlier this month.

Maryland State Police said the portion of Interstate 695 between Interstate 70 and Washington Boulevard was also flooded.

National Weather Service Doppler Radar suggests more than 9.5 inches of rain has fallen in past several hours, according to Storm Team4’s Mike Stinneford.

Stinneford said the rain has caused the Patapsco River to come “rampaging through the Main Street, very similar to what happened two years ago on July 30.”

He said this flood may even be worse than the 2016 flooding.

In a tweet, Howard County government said the flooding was on the same scale as a deadly 2016 storm. On July 30, 2016, flood waters ripped through Ellicott City’s historic downtown. Two people died as a result.

Ellicott City’s Main Street is suffering flooding on the scale of the July 30, 2016 storm. Please avoid the area. Our emergency operations center is open and we are responding to the emergency. — Howard County Gov’t (@HoCoGov) May 27, 2018

Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman, who spoke to WTOP from the county’s emergency operations center, characterized the flooding as “very bad.”

He said there have been no reports of injuries but also said the situation was still developing and that more rain was expected.

“We’re just asking people to not come to Ellicott City,” Kittleman said. “Get off the roadways so that our emergency vehicles can get there when they need to.”

The Roger Carter Community Center, at 3000 Milltowne Drive, was opened up to residents in need of shelter.

As the flooding progressed, flurry of videos and pictures were posted on social media, including this Periscope tweeted at around 6:30 p.m. (Warning: The Periscope contains some strong language).

A live Periscope feed from Ellicott City Main Street: https://t.co/cV61nz6m0b — Justin Fenton (@justin_fenton) May 27, 2018

The D.C. area braced for flash flooding as heavy rains moved through the D.C. region on Sunday. In Howard County, NWS said Ellicott City, Catonsville, Woodlawn, Arbutus, Ilchester and Oella were expected to experience flooding.

Flash flooding warnings were also issued for Frederick and Anne Arundel counties in Maryland.

WTOP’s Dick Uliano, Dave Dildine and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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