Rescuers Find Body Of Missing National Guardsman In Ellicott City
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (WJZ/AP) -- The body of missing Maryland veteran Eddison Hermond was found Tuesday, Howard County officials confirmed.
His body was found in the Patapsco River just across the Baltimore County line.
RELATED: Body Of Missing Md. Veteran Eddison Hermond Found
Original Post, May 28, 11:00 p.m. : One person is missing after flash flooding that tore down historic Main Street in Ellicott City, and he has not been seen since the height of the raging, brown waters have left a community heartbroken at seeing severe damage less than two years after another devastating flood.
Eddison Hermond, 39, of Severn was reported missing around 12:30 a.m. Monday. Officials say he was trying to help a woman find her lost cat when he was swept away by waters.
RELATED; 'It's Just Heartbreaking': Ellicott City Pummeled By Devastating Flash Floods Yet Again
He was last seen around 5:20 p.m. Sunday in a white shirt and black shorts in parking lot D behind La Palapa Grill and Cantina at 8307 Main St., Ellicott City Md. He is described as a black male, 5-foot-10 and 160 pounds.
Hermond was former Air Force and is now in the National Guard. Witnesses say he was swept towards the Patapsco River and emergency crews are looking for him.
Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said Monday morning that his priorities are finding the missing man and assessing the condition of buildings that house shops, restaurants and families.
RELATED: How To Help With The Ellicott City Flooding
"We're certainly making every effort to locate that individual," he said.
The area remained blocked off Monday, even to residents and business owners, as Kittleman surveyed the debris.
"If you look at the devastation and the damage, I would certainly say it's worse than 2016," he said. "We've had areas that were not even damaged at all two years ago terribly damaged this time."
At a news conference Sunday night, Kittleman and Gov. Larry Hogan vowed to help people faced again with rebuilding their lives.
"We will be there for them as we were in 2016," Kittleman said.
Hogan promised "every bit of assistance we possibly can."
"They say this is a once every 1,000-year flood and we've had two of them in two years," Hogan said.
The flooding Sunday swept away parked cars in the city, which is set along the west bank of the Patapsco River, about 13 miles west of Baltimore.
Jessica Ur, a server at Pure Wine Cafe on the city's Main Street, told The Baltimore Sun that she watched as gushing waters swept three or four parked cars down the street.
"It's significantly higher than it was before," she told the newspaper, comparing the floodwaters to those of 2016.
Mike Muccilli, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Sterling, Virginia, said Sunday it was too early to make comparisons between the two floods. But he said both were devastating. In the July 2016 storm, Ellicott City received 6.6 inches (17 centimeters) of rain over a two- to three-hour period. On Sunday, the community received nearly 8 inches (20.32 centimeters) of rain over a six-hour period, but most of it fell during an intense, three-hour period, Muccilli said.
"In a normal heavy rain event, you wouldn't see this amount of flooding, where you see cars floating down the road," Muccilli said. "This was a true flash flood."
Some people reported hearing a blaring alarm during the flooding. Others said they gathered in the second story of a building to anxiously watch the seething waters. One sight during the flood: a handmade, white flag hung from an upper story of a Main Street building bearing the letters SOS.
"If you are trapped, we are coming," the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services tweeted at one point.
Ellicott City has been rebuilding since the 2016 flooding damaged and destroyed businesses. Local officials recently said that 96 percent of the businesses were back in operation and more than 20 new businesses had again opened in the Main Street area. Just two weeks ago, Hogan announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had awarded the state and county more than $1 million to pay for projects aimed at reducing the flood risk in areas around Main Street.
Some are already asking questions about whether enough was done after the last flood to prevent a similar catastrophe. Hogan said temporary improvements were in place and more things were in the works to reduce the community's vulnerabilities. But he said big changes take time, and no one expected such a huge flood so soon after 2016.
If you have any information in regards to his whereabouts please contact Howard County Police.
For those impacted by yesterday's flood in Ellicott City, the county has opened a hotline to provide information and assistance at 410-313-2900. For emergencies, call 911.
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