'No words to describe the devastation' after Ellicott City flooding in Maryland

Show Caption Hide Caption Ellicott City overwhelmed by raging river of floodwater It's deja vu for the small Maryland community in Ellicott City where devastating flash flooding has struck again, just two years after raging floods decimated the town and killed two people.

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — Rescue personnel here were searching Monday for a man missing after rampaging waters roared like a river through the quaint, historic downtown, swallowing cars and flooding stores and homes — just two years after a similar devastating deluge.

The town was pounded by almost eight inches of rain Sunday. When the flash flooding receded, first responders walked through the ravaged downtown area, its Main Street strewn with debris. The disaster was similar to a flash flood two years ago that killed two people.

"There are no words to describe the devastation," Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said.

Kittleman said residents and business owners were being kept away while authorities determine what structures are safe. Some locals may be allowed to return Tuesday, he said.

Kittleman said he understands if business owners who rebuilt two years ago decide to walk away this time.

"My heart breaks for them," he said. "They are going to have to make a tough decision. I will support whatever decision they make."

More: Ellicott City flooding prompts emergency rescues, state of emergency

More: Rain that caused deadly Md. flood a '1-in-1,000' year event

Police identified the missing man as Eddison Alexander Hermond, 39, a resident of nearby Severn and an active duty member of the Army National Guard.

County Police Chief Gary Gardner said Hermond was helping hold a door shut to keep water from entering a downtown restaurant when he went out to help a woman find her cat.

At one point, people saw Hermond "go under the water and not surface," Gardner said.

Ray Miser was sitting on his porch Sunday as at least 2 feet of water began rushing past his home. “It sure was a sight,” he said. “There were logs and everything just floating like I was living on a river.”

Miser, 77, said he’s watched other floods hit the area, including the 2016 disaster. But his elevated two-story home made it through again. “You just got to pray,” he said.

Witnesses describe Maryland flood chaos One witness says water was coming in through the walls. Witnesses are describing the chaos in Ellicott City, Maryland, where torrential floods left downtown buildings heavily damaged and filled with mud on Sunday. (May 28)

Gardner said 911 call systems were bombarded with about 1,100 calls that started when the flooding began at about 4 p.m. Sunday. Fire Chief John Butler said first responders assisted in the evacuations of about 300 people, more than two dozen of them water rescues from "a high level of danger."

Rescue workers were out in force across the town, 13 miles west of Baltimore along the Patapsco River. Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a statewide state of emergency and paid a visit to assess the damage.

Gardner said many people on Main Street when the flooding occurred showed courage in the face of horror.

"We're thankful and not just for the first responders," he said. "A lot of individuals provided the same level of heroic effort, helping pull people out."

A similar flash flood disaster two years ago killed two people, battered buildings and swept away cars. But the town rebuilt, and Kittleman said flood abatement efforts have been underway since that time.

"Ellicott City was as prepared as it could be," he said. "When you have eight inches coming down, terrible things can happen."

Meteorologists dismissed the 2016 carnage as a 1-in-1,000-year event. A 1-in-1,000-year rain event is a statistical way of expressing the probability of such a massive rainfall occurring in any given year in a given location, according to the National Center for Environmental Information.

But on Sunday the flooding was back, with stunning video showing a brown wall of water sweeping through the downtown, high as roofs on some cars.

We know #EllicottCityMD residents, biz & property owners want access to their properties, but be4 we can allow u to safely reclaim ur belongings & assess property damage, we need to ensure the area is safe. Thx u for ur patience while shoring operations continue. #ECFlood (2/2) — Howard County Gov't (@HoCoGov) May 28, 2018

All David Barber could do was watch as the light rain quickly became rushing rapids downhill from his two-story home. Cars flowed with the current, crashing into one another and ending up clogged together near one Main Street business.

“I’ve never seen anything like it,” he said. “This really puts the fear of God in you. Two years in a row. Two. This area and Main Street are part of the beauty of living here.”

After the flooding appeared to have stopped, a new threat targeted Barber’s home. A massive maple tree toppled in his backyard, missing his bedroom door by just a few feet. “We are extremely lucky,” he said.

Stacey Corrao, was at her son’s baseball tournament when she started getting calls about the flooding. “Every call they were telling me, ‘It’s getting worse, it’s getting worse,’” she said. “I felt so powerless.”

Water surrounded Corrao's home and several inches flooded the crawl space beneath. On Monday, it was still draining from a hose placed in the crawl space and threaded out to the street.

“It’s just unbelievable. How can we have a thousand-year storm twice in two years,” she said. “There are no words.”

She and other residents blamed local officials for building the area up without having a plan for flooding.

“Of course this is going to continue to happen. There’s construction, more homes and businesses but no where for the water to go once it starts to overflow,” Corrao said. “We need a plan to make sure this doesn’t happen again.”

Bacon reported from McLean, Va.