Halsey Fans Flee To Bathrooms During Tornado Warning, Areas Of HoCo Flood, Roads Close

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Storms swept across Howard County Wednesday night closing roads due to downed trees and flooding.

Knee-deep water stranded vehicles and prompted the eventual cancellation of the Halsey concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia but not after people were videoed walking through ankle-high water that covered electric cables and sought shelter in bathrooms and cars during the brief tornado warning.

The National Weather Service urged Howard County residents to seek higher ground during the flood warning. The Howard County Fire and Rescue reminded residents not to drive through rapidly flowing water.

Resident Deirdre Fole Citro shared on Twitter a video of tributaries near her that were flooding the area near where she lived in Ellicott City.

At the Halsey concert, Twitter user Ben Kelkis shared a video of concertgoers trudging through ankle-deep floodwater and electric cords covered with floodwater that people were walking through.

Many people expressed anger on the venue's Facebook page and on personal Twitter pages that the concert was not canceled when the tornado warning was issued let alone when the flood warning took hold, and ticket refunds offered at that time of the warnings instead of waiting until later in the evening after several concert delays and a final concert cancellation.

People sought safety in bathrooms at the pavilion, which were packed with children and adults according to a video shared by Twitter user Faith.

Halsey took to Twitter and said that “…it would have been SO unsafe if I went out there and people rushed the stage during or after the storm. A lot of things were out of my control tonight but I promise everything I COULD choose, I chose your safety.”

She also tweeted that she was upset with how Merriweather handled the events of the evenings.

"I really want to add that I am beyond disappointed with the way the venue handled everything tonight and my rescheduled date will be happening somewhere else. I hear you guys loud and clear I promise," she wrote.

Other concertgoers were disappointed in an individual either with the tour or employed by the pavilion kicking a squirrel off the stage into flood water, which can be seen in this tweeted video.

Patch reached out to the Merriweather Post Pavilion Thursday morning but no one answered the phone or returned a call to Patch so far.

Ellicott City endured two “1,000-year floods” in 2016 and 2018, damaging dozens of businesses and killing three people. Howard County Executive Calvin Ball on Thursday held a news conference to discuss the impact of Wednesday evening’s storm on Howard County.

Areas within Howard County experienced up to 2.5 inches of rainfall over a two-hour period, triggering multiple flash flood warnings. Approximately 3,000 BGE customers lost power Wednesday evening.

“The impact of Wednesday night’s storm was felt across our community,” Ball said. “Nearly 30 roads across the county were affected by flooding or downed trees. In Ellicott City, a flash flood warning triggered our outdoor tone alert system to notify residents to seek high ground. This and other initiatives we’ve implemented through Ellicott City Safe and Sound made us more prepared.”

The National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch for Howard County at 4 p.m. on Wednesday that ran through 4 a.m. Thursday. Starting at 6 p.m., Howard County experienced a series of short duration, high intensity storms that led the NWS to issue a tornado warning for eastern Howard County at 8:45 p.m. Residents reported a possible tornado touchdown near Cradlerock Way and Overheart Way in Columbia, officials reported.

At approximately 8:40 p.m., heavy rains caused flooding in the pavilion and along the perimeter at Merriweather Post Pavilion during a concert. The concert was stopped and individuals in the lower pavilion were evacuated to higher ground, Ball shared at the news conference.

In Centennial Park, 2.5 inches of rain fell in a two-hour period. In Ellicott City, 2.3 inches of rain fell in a two-hour period, including 1.25 inches of rain in 15 minutes between 8:45 and 9 p.m.

The NWS issued a flash flood warning at 9 p.m. for Historic Ellicott City, which triggered the outdoor emergency alert tones to sound and the Howard County Police Department to clear and close Main Street. Private Access Point Gates, which were installed in 2020, were opened for people to seek higher ground.

Based on cameras located in Ellicott City, water on Main Street rose to approximately 6 inches, or curb height, at the lower end of the street at the height of the storm. The outdoor tone alert system, which was installed in 2019, has been triggered twice before, June and August 2020, when flash flood warnings were issued for Ellicott City.

Wednesday’s storm also triggered Ellicott City’s Enhanced Stream Cleaning program. Within 72 hours, crews will inspect and remove debris from 56 points in waterways in Howard County that are known to experience or contribute to flooding. Since the program began in December 2018, more than 31 tons of debris have been removed from waterways. Under protocols established by Ball, debris will be removed after any rain event of 2 inches or greater accumulation in a 24-hour period, or after an hour of sustained winds greater than 30 mph. Previously, waterways were only inspected on a quarterly or semi-annual basis.