ELLICOTT CITY, Maryland — A search is underway for Eddison Hermond, 39, of Severn, Maryland following Sunday’s devastating floods in Ellicott City, Maryland.
Hermond, an active member of the Army National Guard, was helping people in the flooded area when he disappeared, according to friends.
“[He] was last seen in the area of La Palapa near Lot D on Main Street at approximately 5:20 p.m. He was reported missing to police at 12:30 a.m. on Monday,” Howard County Police Department posted on Facebook. “He has not been located despite ongoing searches of the area.”
Hermond was described as a black male, 5-foot-10, 160 pounds.
Anybody with information was asked to call 911.
Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency Sunday in Howard County as a massive storm drenched the Baltimore region, triggering flash floods in Ellicott City. Thirty rescues were carried out into Monday morning, officials said.
Brown water rushed through Ellicott City’s historic Main Street, toppling buildings and upending cars, as the nearby Patapsco River swelled to a record-breaking level. In some areas, water levels reached above the first floor of buildings, Howard County Fire and EMS said.
The devastation was especially hard to comprehend coming barely two years after the last flood that ravaged the city, he said. The disaster left two dead and damaged dozens of buildings.
Kittleman said the flooding was worse than that endured in July 2016. Gas lines were shut down and a historic building fell, he told reporters.
The city rallied around the slogan “Elliott City Strong.” Many businesses had just finished rebuilding, Kittleman said.
“There are no words,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking.”
Advisories in effect
Ellicott City is an unincorporated community about 12 miles west of Baltimore. Located in the valley of the Patapsco River, a major waterway flowing to Chesapeake Bay, Ellicott City is known for its flood-prone location as much as its historic downtown.
The river rose 17.8 feet in two hours on Sunday afternoon to 24.13 feet, a new record from the previous high of 23.6 feet.
