Howard Co. Officials Respond To Storm Damage, Center Closed

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Strong thunderstorms rolled through Howard County Thursday night, leaving more than 600 homes without property. Debris littered streets and roadways flooded. In response, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball orchestrated an enhanced stream cleaning process on nine waterways in the county and debris removal will start next week.

"Across all of Howard County, our safety personnel were closely watching the weather last night and are hard at work this morning to make sure all our neighborhoods are accessible, dry and safe. In Ellicott City, emergency managers, stormwater management experts and other public safety personnel were closely monitoring the weather in our Emergency Operations Center and we had first responders on the scene to ensure safety and give us additional eyes on the situation," said Ball in a statement.

As a result of flooding in the building, the Roger Carter Community Center is currently closed. For updates on re-opening, residents can call the drop-in line at 410-313-2764, starting on Monday at 5 a.m.

At approximately 10:15 p.m., water in the West End overran its banks, causing the Howard County Police Department and the Howard County Office of Emergency Management to close Main Street from Rogers Avenue to the county line. The road was deemed safe and reopened shortly thereafter.

"I want to thank everyone in Howard County who helped us last night to monitor the weather and keep our residents safe. As always, I am proud of all our first responders and grateful for their service to protect our community," said Ball.