Ellicott City‬, ‪Maryland‬‬

2 dead after floodwaters devastate Maryland town

WASHINGTON D.C. -- Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing two people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said.

A Pennsylvania woman visiting the town with her family was one of those killed after their car was caught in the raging floodwaters and carried toward the Patapsco River, police said.

Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman told The Associated Press by telephone that the devastation was the worst he'd seen in 50 years living in the county, including Hurricane Agnes in 1972, which caused the river to overflow its banks. Virtually every home or business along Main Street sustained at least some damage, and the cost of repairs could reach the hundreds of millions of dollars, he said.

"It looks like the set of a disaster movie," said Kittleman, a Republican. "Cars everywhere, cars on top of cars, parts of the road are gone, many parts of the sidewalk are gone, storefronts are completely gone."

There was "tremendous damage" to buildings and vehicles in Ellicott, but there were no injuries reported there, Kittleman told CBS Baltimore in a phone interview.

In the aftermath, parts of Main Street in Historic Ellicott City had collapsed. Displaced residents from homes under evacuation orders were offered shelter at the county recreation center.

The town, about 14 miles west of Baltimore, received 6.5 inches of rain, according to the National Weather Service, and most of it fell Saturday evening between 7 p.m. and 9 p.m.

Videos posted on social media showed floodwaters rushing down the town's Main Street, which slopes toward the river, and sweeping away cars. Some vehicles came to rest on top of each other. In one video posted to the Facebook page of a Main Street art gallery, several people can be seen forming a human chain to rescue a woman from a car that was being swept down the street.

Baltimore County police, who recovered the victims' bodies on the opposite side of the Patapsco, identified the victims as Jessica Watsula, 35, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, and Joseph Blevins, 38, of Windsor Mill, Maryland. Both were inside vehicles that were overcome by floodwaters. Watsula's relatives were able to escape, and Blevins' girlfriend was rescued, police said.

County officials said at a news conference that up to five buildings had been completely destroyed and up to 30 more had significant damage. More than 170 inoperable vehicles were stranded in the Main Street area and along the river.

Gov. Larry Hogan toured the damaged area Sunday along with Kittleman and Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., who has an office in the town. Hogan declared a state of emergency, which will allow greater aid coordination and assistance.