Scenes From Flooded Ellicott City: Video And Photos

ELLICOTT CITY, MD — Main Street in Ellicott City remains closed to the public after Sunday's flash flood and will remain off limits for an undetermined amount of time. Inches of rain fell in a matter of hours, sending water rushing through the historic downtown, in some cases trapping people inside buildings.

The storm left in its wake broken pipes, shattered windows, collapsed roads and vegetation strewn around cars, utility poles and businesses. A National Guard member was swept away by the rushing water and killed.

_{Still pictures from HCPD video.}

There were 300 emergency responses related to the weather event Sunday, including up to 30 water rescues countywide, officials said. So far, one death has been reported.

Eddison Alexander Hermond, 39, of Severn, was last seen at 5:20 p.m. on Sunday near La Palapa restaurant, police reported. He was an active member of the Army National Guard who helped people evacuate before he was killed. Emergency officials searched the area since Sunday for him and found the missing man on Tuesday.

_{Photo courtesy of Howard County Police Department.}

"He was at a restaurant...trying to hold a door from the water trying to come in," Howard County Police Chief Gary Gardner said of what happened Sunday.

According to preliminary data provided by the National Weather Service, between 5.36 and 8.4 inches of rain fell in Ellicott City by 9 p.m. on Sunday.

When a woman appeared to need help behind La Palapa restaurant, Hermond and others went to assist her in the area of parking lot D. "They saw him go under the water and not surface," Gardner said.

Emergency officials searched for Hermond and any others who may have been swept up in the storm.

"So far, in the last 24 hours, we have done a cursory search of structures and vehicles," Howard County Fire Chief John Butler said Monday afternoon. That was the first of several rounds of searches; people, working dogs and technological resources from drones to water-borne devices were being deployed, he added.

Police including state troopers and county law enforcement are posted around Main Street, blocking access.

"We are in the process of securing this area," the police chief said Monday, stating that Main Street would be designated as a no-access zone. "Our main purpose at this point is preventing people from entering that scene and protecting the assets that remain."

This drone video showing the aftermath of the flood was provided by the Howard County Police Department:

This drone video of #EllicottCityMD Main Street was taken this afternoon and is provided by #HoCoPolice: https://t.co/Ch8EMUX1AD. #ECStrong
— Howard County Gov't (@HoCoGov) May 28, 2018

Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman planned to take media on a tour at 2 p.m. Monday covering the lower Main Street business district, where Sunday's flood significantly damaged buildings and infrastructure.

The tour was canceled but media were allowed to walk from St. Paul to Maryland Avenue as far as Tiber Alley, near the southern edge of the B&O Ellicott City Station Museum.

Here is what the media saw:

Federal, state and local authorities are still assessing the damage. The public is urged to avoid downtown, which prompted an emergency declaration from the county executive.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman have both said the flood appears to have been worse than the 2016 event in the same location.

• National Guard Member Missing Following Ellicott City Flooding
• Ellicott City Flood: Governor Declares State Of Emergency
• 39 Cars Remain Unclaimed From Ellicott City Flood: Police
• Access To Main Street Opens For Residents, Business Owners

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Photos by Elizabeth Janney unless noted.