A 39-year-old Maryland man is missing after a flash flood hit Ellicott City, Md., on Sunday night.
Eddison Alexander Hermond, a member of the Army National Guard, was reported missing at 12:30 a.m. Monday, according to a Howard County, Md., spokesperson. There is an active search for Hermond, who is from Severn, Md. He was last seen 5:20 p.m. Sunday in the parking lot of a restaurant in downtown Ellicott City, which was also hit hard by flooding in 2016 that claimed two lives.
Hermond’s friends say that he was trying to help rescue people when he was swept away, according to Elliot City Patch.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan has declared a state of emergency, which “will allow the state to efficiently coordinate support and provide additional assistance to local jurisdictions experiencing flooding conditions,” according to a statement released by his office. The National Weather Service is calling the flooding an “extremely dangerous and potentially catastrophic situation.”
Close to 8 inches of rain fell on Ellicott City Sunday.
It is unclear exactly how much damage the flooding has caused and whether there is any loss of life or injuries.
Here are a few details on the current situation as of Monday morning, per the Washington Post:
Monday morning, residents, tourists and news reporters gathered at the intersection on Main Street and Court Avenue to see the destruction. Three cars lay crumpled under a bridge over a swollen creek, the banks of which had been washed away.
Another car a few yards away on the bank was full of mud, its trunk door open.
State troopers driving in all-terrain vehicles and wearing helmets drove up and down Main Street and blocked anyone from entering. They warned that buildings were potentially unstable and said experts were still surveying the damage.
There were reports that a historic stone cottage had collapsed in the flood, but buildings along Main Street appeared to be standing—if badly damaged in some cases.
Most roads into town were blocked by police and littered with broken tree branches and rocks.
The flooding is considered to be worse than the deluge that hit the state in 2016.
“I have no words,” Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said at a press conference Sunday night. “I’m devastated. I’m heartbroken.”