Multiple Water Rescues Reported in Bel Air

Emergency personnel advised citizens to stay off the roads in Bel Air Thursday evening, when several inches of rain had fallen and more than a dozen people needed to be rescued from swift waters.

Approximately 4 to 6 inches of rain had fallen in the area by 8 p.m., according to the National Weather Service.

Approximately 18 people were removed from vehicles in high water, by boat or on their own, according to Rich Gardiner, spokesman for the Harford County Volunteer Fire and EMS Association.

• Two people were rescued from Cheshire Drive at Southampton Road.
• At 6:50 p.m., the Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company reported its crew was responding to MD 543 at Southampton Road for a vehicle in fast-moving water.
• Before 6:30 p.m., the fire company was called to MD 924 at US 1, where a vehicle was stuck in the water.
• In another rescue, someone was trapped inside a vehicle on Marywood Drive and St. Francis Road, according to the Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company, which was working on at least two other active incidents after 6 p.m.

There were no injuries in any of the incidents, Gardiner said.

A flood watch remains in effect until 2 a.m. Friday, with the National Weather Service advising that while rain will taper off, streams and creeks continue to rise, with some already spilling over their banks.

Bel Air, Pleasant Hills, Bel Air South, Bel Air North, Fallston, Benson, Bynum and Hickory were areas likely to be impacted, according to the weather service.

“This is a dangerous situation,” the National Weather Service reported at 8 p.m. Thursday. “Move to higher ground and do not enter floodwaters under any circumstance.”

Harford County first responders noticed that some people were swimming or walking through swift-moving water, according to Gardiner, who asked citizens to refrain from playing in flooded areas, activity he said could require additional work for already busy emergency personnel.

Transportation officials advise drivers who can’t see the road to turn around—don’t drown.

Weather Alerts: A flood warning is in effect for Harford County until 2 a.m. Friday. A flash flood watch is in effect until midnight for much of Maryland, including Harford County. A flash flood warning was in effect until 8:15 p.m. Thursday for Harford and Baltimore counties.

Road Closures (according to Harford County Emergency Services):

• MD 22 (Churchville Road) in the area of Bynum Pond
• Hickory Avenue at Moores Mills Road
• Part of the Bel Air Bypass near Rocks Spring
• Forest Valley Drive at Meadow Road
• 1300 block of St. Francis Road
• 1071 Pipercove Way
• Carrs Mill Road
• Grafton Shop Road

Pictured, one person was trapped inside a vehicle on Marywood Drive at Saint Francis Road. Photo Credit: Mark Ensor, Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company.