Community Corner

Updated: County Warns of Many Closed Roads, Water Recedes in Ellicott City

Standing water is shutting down some roads.

(UPDATED 6:45 P.M.) Baltimore County Police are reporting that many roads are closed in the county. At one point Wednesday, more than 70 roads in the county were closed.

Elise Armacost, a spokeswoman for Baltimore County fire and police operations, said the situation was very fluid and urged drivers to stay off the roads in the evening hours.

Call volume for emergency services has dropped in recent hours.

"Between 1 and 3 p.m. we were swamped," Armacost said. "The call volume hasn't been the same in recent hours. We're still busy. We're still handling calls but it doesn't seem to be the same volume as it was earlier this afternoon.

Armacost said it is not clear if tides combined with the rain storms will cause flooding along the county's 200 or so miles of shoreline on the eastside of the county.

Find out what's happening in Catonsvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The National Weather Service has extended the Flash Flood Warning in effect for the region until 10 p.m.

In historic Ellicott City, the Patapsco River has receded and but there is still standing water on Frederick Road by the river.

Find out what's happening in Catonsvillewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

(UPDATED 4 P.M.) Standing water has receded on Frederick Road and Baltimore National Pike, but the water is still high in downtown Ellicott City, where flooding prompted the evacuation of Main Street.

Baltimore County fire crews had to rescue some of their own out of the Patapsco River at Frederick and River roads, after a boat they were in capsized in the river. Six firefighters were rescued, including one who was stranded in a tree surrounded by water, according to Det. Cathleen Batton with the Baltimore County Police Department.

Four firefighters were from the Arbutus Volunteer Fire Company Swiftwater Rescue Team and two were career firefighters from the Texas Station Swiftwater Rescue Team.

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(UPDATED 2:30 P.M.) Baltimore County fire, police and emergency responders are reporting numerous swift water rescues across the county, said Elise Armacost, a county spokeswoman.Armacost asked that citizens do not drive through standing water or to avoid driving if they can. Six inches of standing water is enough to carry away a vehicle, safety experts said.

(UPDATED 2 P.M.)Howard County emergency officials have started to evacuate Main Street or Frederick Road in old Ellicott City due to standing water.Also in Catonsville, westbound Route 40 in Catonsville is closed due to standing water. In Woodlawn, Security Blvd. is partially closed at Interstate 695. Frederick Road is also closed at Westchester Avenue.

(1:20 P.M.) A region already saturated by rain can expect several more inches to fall this afternoon as more storms move through the area.In Catonsville, several problem spots reported, including Oella Avenue, Hilltop Road.

At this time, all roadways remain open. Also in Howard County, River Road and Ilchester Road are reported as barely passable. Drivers are reporting extremely high water on Frederick Road headed west into Ellicott City.

The National Weather Service reported that two to three inches of rain have already fallen in the area and expect several more inches this afternoon.

Stay with Patch for updates.

Patch Associate Regional Editor Bryan Sears contributed to this article.


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