As the rain hammered down in Howard County last night, officials took no chances with the historically flood-prone Ellicott City. In a late-night report, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball provided an update on the August 18th storm that swept through, particularly emphasizing the preparedness measures that were put into place. According to Howard County's press release, "At 9:48 p.m. on Sunday, August 18th, the National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Warning for Northeastern Howard County, including Historic Ellicott City." Though about three inches of rain fell over a short period, causing temporary flooding, the pre-emptive measures seemed to have mitigated the potential damage.
Having closely monitored the storm's approach, Howard County officials moved to activate the Emergency Operations Center earlier in the day. After the Flash Flood Warning was initiated, the Howard County Police Department acted with a speed normally reserved for emergency drills, shutting down Main Street to prevent the flowing streams of traffic from meeting potentially more dangerous forms of flowing water. The Historic Ellicott City Outdoor Tone Alert System was activated, once at the warning's issuance and again twelve minutes later, to alert residents of the need to find higher ground. Furthermore, the National Weather Service did its part by sending a Wireless Emergency Alert to cellphones in the area. In his statement obtained by the Howard County website, Ball praised the public safety personnel "for their quick actions to monitor the storm and implement flood safety measures to protect our residents, businesses, and visitors."
Ball's statement continues to outline the flood safety measures and mitigation projects that have been a priority since he took office. Having started vital construction on two major flood mitigation ponds, which he noted "have the combined capacity to hold up to 7.5 million gallons of water," the county is in better standing against nature's unpredictable torrents. This Summer also marked the beginning of additional flood mitigation projects, consisting of the H4 Pond and the North Tunnel. Wrapping up the statement with an assertion of progress, Ball noted, "We continue to make tangible and visible progress for our community," underscoring the ongoing work in progress for the residents of Ellicott City, as reported on the Howard County website.
.jpg){kind=link}