Ellicott City, Maryland, experienced historic flooding on July 30, 2016. See photos.
From left, Students Giana Han, 19, Alex Booth, 19, Taruna Emani, 18, Olivia Black, 19, and Matt Rutkowski, 17, help during the clean up of Ellicott City after the flood that ravaged the city.
(WTOP/Kate Ryan)
WTOP/Kate Ryan
Maryland governor Larry Hogan.
(WTOP/Kate Ryan)
WTOP/Kate Ryan
Relief efforts offer free meals during the Ellicott City recovery
(WTOP/Kate Ryan)
WTOP/Kate Ryan
Ellicott City clean up begins after historic flooding ravaged the city
(WTOP/Kate Ryan)
Boarded-up windows on Main Street.
(Howard County photo)
Howard County photo
A view from inside one of the damaged buildings on Main Street.
(Howard County photo)
Howard County photo
An aerial view of the damage on Main Street.
(Howard County photo)
Howard County photo
An aerial view of the damage on Main Street.
(Howard County photo)
Howard County photo
Volunteers assist with the cleanup along Main Street after flash floods ravaged Ellicott City’s downtown.
(Howard County photo)
Howard County photo
Debris from the flooding is seen on an awning in Ellicott City, Maryland on Aug. 4, 2016.
(WTOP/John Aaron)
WTOP/John Aaron
Damage from the flooding in Ellicott City, Maryland is seen Aug. 4, 2016.
(WTOP/John Aaron)
WTOP/John Aaron
The rear of the 8100 block of Main Street in Ellicott City, Maryland is seen on Aug. 4, 2016. The waters from the Tiber River, which flows into the upper Western Branch of the Patapsco River, rose to the window level and blew out all of the windows of a department store.
(WTOP/John Aaron)
WTOP/John Aaron
Ellicott City’s Main Street is seen on Aug. 4, 2016. This photo was taken about 400 feet from the most unsound buildings.
(WTOP/John Aaron)
This 2013 photo provided by the University of Baltimore shows Joseph Blevins in his office at the University of Baltimore. Blevins, director of financial aid at the school, died in a flash flood in Ellicott City, Maryland, Saturday, July 30, 2016. (University of Baltimore via AP)
From The Associated Press: University President Kurt Schmoke and Provost Darlene Brannigan Smith said in a statement Monday that they are shocked and saddened by the death of 38-year-old Joseph Blevins of Windsor Mill.
Police say Blevins and his girlfriend were in a vehicle that got caught in the floodwaters Saturday night. She was rescued but he was swept away.
The university officials say Blevins started working for the school in 2008. They say he was known for his calm demeanor, sense of humor and helpful attitude.
They say Blevins believed strongly in the role of financial assistance in transforming students’ lives.
(AP)
AP
This undated photo provided by the Universal Church Directories shows Jessica Watsula and her daughter Sarah. A catastrophic storm Saturday, July 30, 2016, that ripped through Ellicott City, Maryland, claimed the lives Jessica Watsula and Joseph Blevins, whose cars were swept into the Patapsco River’s raging waters. (Universal Church Directories via AP)
From The Associated Press: A pastor says a woman killed by flash flood waters in Ellicott City, Maryland, was the single mother of a 10-year-old girl.
The Rev. Dean Cover shared his memories of 35-year-old Jessica Watsula on Monday in a telephone interview from Living Waters Chapel in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.
He says Watsula and her daughter Sarah joined the Christian congregation about eight years ago. He remembers her as a gracious, upbeat woman.
Cover says Watsula worked in a shoe store in Lebanon. He says she was thrilled when she got the job in the past year because it enabled her to spend more time at home and at the church, where she volunteered in a child-care program.
Cover says Watsula also enjoyed working out at an area gym.
(AP/uncredited)
AP/uncredited
In Ellicott City, Caplan’s Dept. Store building has an entire brick wall that collapsed from the July 30 flooding, seen here on Aug. 4, 2016.
(WTOP/John Aaron)
WTOP/John Aaron
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
WTOP/Nick Iannelli
Scenes from the clean-up of Ellicott City after flash floods on July 30 ravaged the city’s historic Main Street.
(WTOP/Nick Iannelli)
A view of downtown Main Street in Ellicott City on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016. Officials are blocking off the street to assess the structural integrity of the buildings.
(WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
WTOP/Megan Cloherty
Some of the damage the flooding caused around Ellicott City, Maryland captured on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
(WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
WTOP/Megan Cloherty
Some of the damage the flooding caused around Ellicott City, Maryland captured on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
(WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
WTOP/Megan Cloherty
More than 6 inches of water swept through Ellicott City’s Main Street Saturday, causing massive damage. Picture is debris on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
(WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
WTOP/Megan Cloherty
Debris litters parts of Main Street in Ellicott City on Tuesday, Aug. 2, 2016.
(WTOP/Megan Cloherty)
WTOP/Megan Cloherty
Workers gather by street damage after Saturday night’s flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, July 31, 2016. Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing a few people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said.
(Kevin Rector/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Kevin Rector/The Baltimore Sun via AP
Damage along Main Street in historic Ellicott City, Md., is viewed Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, after the city was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing two people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said. Virtually every home or business along the street sustained at least some damage, and the cost of repairs could reach the hundreds of millions of dollars, said Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman.
(AP Photo/Juliet Linderman)
AP Photo/Juliet Linderman
Main Street in historic Ellicott City, Maryland is seen Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, after the city was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing two people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said. Virtually every home or business along Main Street sustained at least some damage, and the cost of repairs could reach the hundreds of millions of dollars, said Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman.
(AP Photo/Juliet Linderman)
AP Photo/Juliet Linderman
Damage along Main Street in historic Ellicott City, Maryland is seen Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, after the city was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing two people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said. Virtually every home or business along Main Street sustained at least some damage, and the cost of repairs could reach the hundreds of millions of dollars, said Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman.
(AP Photo/Juliet Linderman)
AP Photo/Juliet Linderman
Damage along Main Street in historic Ellicott City, Md., is viewed Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, after the city was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing two people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said. Virtually every home or business along the street sustained at least some damage, and the cost of repairs could reach the hundreds of millions of dollars, said Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman.
(AP Photo/Juliet Linderman)
AP Photo/Juliet Linderman
Damage along Main Street in historic Ellicott City, Md., is viewed Monday, Aug. 1, 2016, after the city was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing two people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said. Virtually every home or business along the street sustained at least some damage, and the cost of repairs could reach the hundreds of millions of dollars, said Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman.
(AP Photo/Juliet Linderman)
AP Photo/Juliet Linderman
Main Street in Ellicott City remains cordoned off as tow trucks and emergency personnel continue their work.
(WTOP/Mike Murillo)
WTOP/Mike Murillo
One by one, tow trucks continue to move the cars swept away by the Ellicott City flooding to Centennial High School.
(WTOP/Mike Murillo)
Cars are piled on top of each other in the Meadow Mill parking lot along the Jones Falls in Baltimore on Sunday, July 31, 2016, following Saturday night’s storms.
(Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Jerry Jackson/The Baltimore Sun via AP
Ellicott City.Maryland, sustained major damage along Main Street after flash flooding on July 30, 2016.
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)
WTOP/Dennis Foley
Officials tour the damage left behind after flash flooding in Ellicott City, Maryland, on July 30, 2016.
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)
WTOP/Dennis Foley
Howard County Executive Allan Kettleman and Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan survey the damage after severe flooding in Ellicott City, Maryland, July 30, 2016.
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)
WTOP/Dennis Foley
Cars were totaled in the flash flooding in Ellicott City, Maryland, July 30, 2016.
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)
WTOP/Dennis Foley
From left: Maryland Del. Bob Flanagan, Howard County Executive Allan Kettleman, Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan and Rep. Elijah Cummings discuss the damage and destruction from the floods in Ellicott City, Maryland. THey met July 31, 2016, a day after the flooding.
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)
WTOP/Dennis Foley
The interior of a car destroyed by the flooding in Ellicott City, Maryland, is seen.
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)
WTOP/Dennis Foley
Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman said that many Ellicott City, Maryland, businesses are nearly completely destroyed, especially those at the bottom of the hill after flooding on July 30, 2016.
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)
WTOP/Dennis Foley
Severe flooding brought extensive damage to vehicles, roads, homes and businesses in Ellicott City.
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)
WTOP/Dennis Foley
Carolyn Sanchez, who lives on upper Main Street, describes the waist high water that sent cars crashing into each other, like the scene behind her on the street after Saturday night’s flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, July 31, 2016. Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing a few people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said.
(Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP
Vehicles collide each other on Main Street after Saturday night’s flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, July 31, 2016. Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing a few people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said.
(Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP
A submerged car is visible in the Patapsco River, seen from the Howard County side of Patapsco Valley State Park after the sidewalk caved in due to Saturday night’s flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, July 31, 2016. Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing a few people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said.
(Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP
Recovery and cleanup is underway on historic Main Street after the sidewalk caved in due to overnight flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, July 31, 2016. Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing a few people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said.
(Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP
Workers gather by street damage after Saturday night’s flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, July 31, 2016. Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing a few people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said.
(Kevin Rector/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Kevin Rector/The Baltimore Sun via AP
A worker carries lumber to shore up one of the stores on Main Street after the sidewalk caved in due to overnight flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, July 31, 2016. Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing a few people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said.
(Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP
Crew members work near the railroad trestle at the end of historic Main Street, where flood damaged vehicles block the street after Saturday night’s flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, July 31, 2016. Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing a few people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said.
(Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP
Workers stabilize a building on Main Street after the sidewalk caved in due to overnight flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, July 31, 2016. Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing a few people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said.
(Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Amy Davis/The Baltimore Sun via AP
Workers gather by street damage after Saturday night’s flooding in Ellicott City, Md., Sunday, July 31, 2016. Historic, low-lying Ellicott City, Maryland, was ravaged by floodwaters Saturday night, killing a few people and causing devastating damage to homes and businesses, officials said.
(Kevin Rector/The Baltimore Sun via AP)
Kevin Rector/The Baltimore Sun via AP
The flooding in Ellicott City, Maryland did extensive damage.
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)
WTOP/Dennis Foley
The aftermath of the flood that rushed through Ellicott City saw cars on top of car and lots of debris .
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)
WTOP/Dennis Foley
Flooding is seen in Ellicott City ravaged through Main Street Saturday, July 30, 2016.
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)
WTOP/Dennis Foley
The weather’s impact hit hard in Ellicott City where severe flooding killed two and brought extensive damage to vehicles, roads, homes and businesses. A state of emergency has been declared.
(WTOP/Dennis Foley)