Ellicott City Flooding

We had a devastating 1,000 year flooding event in Ellicott City on Saturday night.  6 inches of rain fell in two hours, and the Historic District was destroyed.  Businesses and homes were destroyed, and it is sounding as if the damage is so extensive that many of the buildings might have to be torn down.  As of now, there is a chunk of the Historic Area that is still off limits.  Homeowners are unable to get into their homes for the forseeable future.

This hits very close to home.  We have friends who own businesses downtown.  They've lost EVERYTHING and have no income for the forseeable future.  We have friends who have lost their homes in the flooding and are now living with family.  We have friends who are unable to get to their homes because the only ingress/egress out of their neighborhood is through streets that no longer exist - they are now sink holes that go down to the bedrock. The pictures don't catch the horror of jobs and dreams crushed within minutes by a flash flood.  More immediate for these small businesses is the question of the complete and sudden loss of income. 

In the meantime, I'm going to attempt to capture something of the scope of the disaster.   
Tomorrow, I'll return to my regularly scheduled blog posts.
Today, send some thoughts to the people affected by the flooding, and to the two families who lost loved ones in the flooding Saturday night.

I have here a few pictures that I've taken over the years in Ellicott City:

The bridge over the river from Howard to Baltimore County.

The view up Main Street - from the intersection just past the bridge.

See this quiet little river?  This is what destroyed a city.

Pictures and news from the days after the flooding:  Video Source: The Washington Post

source: The Washington Post

Governor Larry Hogan's Facebook Album of his visit to Ellicott City: Ellicott City Flooding

PHOTOS: Raging floodwaters rip through Ellicott City, Maryland: At least two people have been found dead in the aftermath of disastrous flooding near Baltimore on Saturday.
(Note: Link to an external site: Acuweather.com)


Ellicott City Looks Like 'War Zone' After Deadly Flash Flooding: A Baltimore County man and a Pennsylvania woman were killed when flash floods swept through Ellicott City, Baltimore and other parts of Maryland on Saturday, leaving a trail of devastation in their wake, state and local officials said at a Sunday afternoon news conference.
(Note: Link to an external web site: WJZ - the Baltimore CBS Affiliate.)

There has been flooding over the weekend in both New Jersey and Maryland.  If you'd like to help with the relief efforts, you can donate to the American Red Cross:  https://www.redcross.org/donate/donation

If you'd like to donate to the Ellicott City Relief Fund, you can donate here:  https://ecpartnership.org/#donate