150 students evacuated from elementary school in rescue boats amid Maryland flooding
150 students evacuated from elementary school in rescue boats amid Maryland flooding
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See flooding that forced an elementary school to evacuate in Maryland
Over 200 students and staff were evacuated from Westernport Elementary School in Maryland after heavy rain caused a flash flood.
About 150 students and 50 adults were evacuated from an elementary school in Maryland after hours of heavy rains driven by an atmospheric river caused major flooding in multiple eastern states.
Rescue boats were deployed to evacuate the students from Westernport Elementary School in Westernport, about 160 miles west of Baltimore, after the North Branch Potomac River and some tributaries burst their banks on May 13, according to multiple reports.
The floodwaters rose so quickly that children and teachers were trapped inside as parents raced to the school to get their children. Alley Wade, the mother of two boys in the school, told KDKA-TV when she arrived, the water was too high for her to help. She said she had to wait on dry land for rescue boats to save her kids and the other people.
Mid-Atlantic flooding news: Boy, 12, swept away as floodwaters rage; schoolkids rescued by boat
"I didn't get any call from the school. I didn't know any plan. I didn't know anything. So, my instinct was get my kids," Wade said. "The first responders and the faculty of that school were phenomenal because I'm sure they were just as scared."
William Wade, a fourth-grade student at Westernport Elementary School, told KDKA "the first floor had been flooded all the way to the ceiling."
All students safely evacuated
Allegany County Department of Emergency Services, in an update around 4:40 p.m. May 13, said all students and staff members of Westernport Elementary had been safely evacuated to a church in Westernport, with students awaiting parent pickup.
The post added rescue operations were also being carried out at Georges Creek Elementary, about 10 miles from Westernport, while Westmar Middle students were sheltering in place.
Authorities announced all Allegany County Public Schools would remain closed May 14 and no virtual learning will take place.
Allegany County Department of Emergency Services spokesperson Kati Kenney confirmed May 14 all students and staff members were safely evacuated and there were "no injuries or missing people."
'Be prepared' for 'high water,' weather service warns
Floodwaters are still working down some larger streams and rivers Wednesday, the National Weather Service in Baltimore said in a post on X.
"Be prepared for road closures, and turn around if you encounter high water," the post said.
Allegany County Department of Emergency Services, in an update May 14, advised residents to stay off the roads in Georges Creek, warning "waters are still high, and conditions remain hazardous."
"For your safety − and the safety of our emergency services − we're asking everyone who can, to please stay in place and off the roads," the department said.
What is an atmospheric river? Heavy rain fueled by atmospheric river threatens more Mid-Atlantic flooding
Contributing: John Bacon, USA TODAY
Saman Shafiq is a trending news reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at sshafiq@gannett.com and follow her on X and Instagram @saman_shafiq7.
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