Record-Breaking Rainfall Pummels Baltimore County
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Rain that seems neverending continues to pummel the Baltimore area, leading to downed trees, ripped up roads and heavy flooding.
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"These are the worst storms I can remember since we had the derecho and that was years ago," said Brian Gneiting with the Maryland State Highway Administration.
While the record-breaking rainfall totals continue to climb, so do the non-stop calls for SHA crews.
"It's been crazy. As soon as we get one thing cleaned up, something else happens and we're on to the next one. My crews have been doing a fantastic job. They're working so hard," Gneiting said.
Crews have been cleaning up debris across the area for days, whether it's tree limbs or asphalt and concrete from roads that have washed away. That ordeal has been a nightmare for drivers. Riding around Baltimore County can feel like a maze at times because so many roads are closed.
Some like Maryland 145 were shut down for hours due to standing water. SHA used front loaders to alleviate the flooding. It reopened Wednesday afternoon.
With the ground so saturated, massive trees continue to come down, like one along Charles Street. It's a widespread impact that's hitting the community as hard as ever.
"People don't realize how big of an impact it is. It goes on and on and on. It's not just about us working all hours of the day and night. These are storms that leave permanent damage, cost money, damage peoples properties and can even take lives. It's impact that is felt all the way down the line," Gneiting said.
ken Holcomb with Castle Wood Tree Service is dealing with the same issues.
"I've been in this business for 25 years and I've never seen storms like this summer," he said.
His crews are working non-stop as well, cleaning up trees across the area. Some have been completely uprooted while others are in danger of falling because the ground is so wet.
"Please be careful. We're urging people to check their trees. See if they're in danger of falling over. Check it out and let us know. Please, be smart," Holcomb said.
He added a few dry days are coming, but it's also important that there are no wind gusts because of how many trees are already in danger of falling down.
While Mother Nature is far from done, it's all hands on decks as crews make a desperate attempt to get Baltimore residents back to a sense of normalcy.
"It's all about getting these people back up on their feet as quickly as we can, and doing everything we can to keep them safe," Gneiting said.
As the rain continued into the night, murky waters moved dangerously fast in Gunpowder Falls in Glencoe and Sparks. It was only the third time waters there had even been this high, climbing to 14 feet.
Water was nearly spilling over the Sparks Road Bridge, breaking the banks in some areas and pouring onto roads.
Al Grichelski watched the water churn Wednesday night -- a sight he's all too familiar with.
"The rain had stopped, and on our blacktop driveway, where the water line met the driveway, you could actually see the gentle rising of the river," he said.
Outside his front door, the river had come to him.
"It was almost as if the river was breathing. It was really quite eerie," Grichelski said.
Feet of water flooded the area around his Upperco home trapping him and his wife inside until it finally drained away.
"Our entire front fence line was underwater," he said.
In Glencoe, the water stranded a school bus Tuesday, trapping a special needs student.
RELATED: School Bus Stuck In Flood Waters, 1 Child On Board
It marked one of at least 32 water rescues in Baltimore County since the rain started falling Saturday.
Some roads were still hidden under deep water that refused to recede.
WJZ's Rick Ritter, Kimberly Eiten and Investigator Mike Hellgren contributed to this story.
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