'It seemed so quick': Region begins flood recover effort

Yahoo

15-05-2025

WESTERNPORT — Theresa Boal was teary as she described her gratitude for neighbors and colleagues who rallied to help her Wednesday.
The day before, water rushed through and back out front doors of Boal Funeral Home, her family's business since 1927.
'It seemed so quick,' Boal, a fifth-generation funeral director and owner of the establishment, said of rains that hit the region Tuesday.
'Within an hour, the place was flooded.'
In addition to destruction at the business, as well as flooding at her her house next door, Boal's 10-year-old son had to be rescued from his school in a boat Tuesday.
Her sister, Carlie Johnson, later collected the boy and reported that 'teachers were drenched but kids were dry,' Boal said, talking of her respect for school staff who 'did everything they could' to keep the students safe.
Boal, her child, husband and three dogs escaped the flooding without injury, she said.
After the storm, community members showed up to help clean the funeral home.
They helped clear mud, removed damaged carpet and stand upright a body cooler that had flipped over in the water.
Funeral home directors in the local community and as far away as Frederick reached out to help the business, Boal said.
'I'm so, so grateful,' she said of peoples' kindness, adding that she's gotten choked up 'a lot in the last 24 hours.'
Her family business will remain open with use of its sister location in Barton as cleanup continues on the Westernport building.
'We're pumping the basement currently,' Boal said. 'My floors are bowed.'
Destruction
Westernport Administrator Laura Freeman-Legge said the flood 'happened so quickly' and destroyed much of the town including its beloved community library.
'Things are rough,' she said.
'We've lost pretty much everything.'
The storm wrecked the town's garage, trucks and equipment, Freeman-Legge said.
'We don't even have shovels,' she said. 'A lot of our main roads are not passable.'
Some folks are without water service due to main line breaks, Freeman-Legge said.
A flood response form for area residents to report problems or request resources is available at Townofwesternport.com, she said, adding that state and local officials are involved to help.
'We're trying to do everything that we can,' Freeman-Legge said.
'We've spoken with the governor ... all of the (surrounding) towns have reached out to me as well.'
Safety
Lonaconing Mayor Jack Coburn said damage to the town's roads include large dips, big boulders, limbs and debris.
'This storm approached us in just (an unbelievably fast) amount of time,' he said.
'We have a severe amount of damage,' Coburn said.
'Our biggest concern is up in our Beechwood area,' he said of a 10-inch pipe that ruptured and led to interruption of water service for several homes.
Some area bridges were also damaged.
'My concern is (for) the safety of the people,' Coburn said, urging people to check on their neighbors and make sure pets are cared for.
'They need fresh water and food as well.'
He talked to Gov. Wes Moore, and said Maryland Department of Emergency Management Secretary Russell Strickland toured the flood-damaged area.
Local residents, businesses, organizations and elected officials have stepped up to help, Coburn said, adding that Lonaconing's Good Will Fire Company, armory and town hall are drop off spots for donations to help folks in need.
'Everyone is working together,' he said.
Impact
Allegany County Public Relations & Communications Manager Kati Kenney Wednesday said the flooding severely impacted select areas, particularly Westernport, where nearly all structures along Main Street, adjacent to Georges Creek, sustained significant water damage.
'Some buildings took on several feet of water,' she said. 'Multiple roads across the county are severely compromised or washed out.'
Local, regional, and state teams had gathered at a command center in Lonaconing, Kenney said.
Crews worked to access homes in flooded areas and check on residents, she said.
'We are prioritizing dangerous locations and beginning to compile a complete list of affected structures,' Kenney said.
'We anticipate moving from rescue and monitoring into cleanup and water removal planning later today.'
She said 'significant support' included a representative from the governor's office, Strickland, Maryland State Police, the Department of Natural Resources, American Red Cross and the Maryland National Guard.
'We urge the public to stay safe and stay off the roads, especially in affected areas, to give crews space to work,' she said.
'We want to thank everyone — from emergency responders to mutual aid crews — for their extraordinary teamwork and cooperation,' Kenney said.
According to a press release from Mineral County Emergency Services Director Luke McKenzie Tuesday night, significant flooding led to evacuations along New Creek in Keyser as well as a small portion along Stoney Run.
Several roads were closed, roughly 200 people evacuated, and a shelter was set up for affected residents at Keyser Presbyterian Church.
Closure
'Due to the devastating impact of recent floodwaters, the Gene Mason Sports Complex as well as Jaycee Field will be closed until further notice,' according to a Wednesday press release from Cumberland officials.
'This includes any league play or practices,' it stated. 'At this time both facilities are off limits to vehicle and pedestrian traffic. This closure will allow city staff the necessary time to fully assess the extent of the damage and determine the cleanup and restoration efforts required to ensure the safety of all visitors.'
Questions were directed to Parks and Recreation Manager Ryan Mackey at [e-mail].
Deployed
Maryland Department of State Police Office of Media Communications Director Elena Russo Wednesday said MSP deployed 14 personnel in addition to patrol operations in Allegany and Garrett counties.
The group included three people from aviation command, two barrack commanders, seven folks from the Special Operations Division, and two from Unmanned Aircraft Systems for drone work.
'Troopers are working road closures, evacuations, responding to calls for service, conducting welfare checks and working from the Emergency Operations Center,' she said.
'Two calls for service were received this morning for elderly people who were unable to get out of their homes,' Russo said.
Outage
Roughly 190 Columbia Gas of Maryland customers in and around the Lonaconing and Westernport areas experienced a natural gas outage due to the severe flooding, according to a press release from the company Wednesday.
'As floodwaters recede, Columbia Gas technicians are conducting assessments of the natural gas distribution system to identify and address any potential flood-related issues,' it stated.
Once the restoration process is underway, Columbia Gas crews will go door-to-door to each affected customer's home or business to turn gas meters back on, perform safety checks and relight natural gas appliances.
'Service restoration for all customers is expected to take several days,' the release stated.
'All workers carry photo ID, which clearly identifies them as a Columbia Gas employee. Customers are encouraged to ask for identification before allowing anyone into their home or business.'
To learn more, visit ColumbiaGasMD.com/relight.
Donations
Jason Keeling is executive director of the Allegheny Highlands Chapter of the American Red Cross in the Central Appalachia Region.
He said localization of Red Cross monetary contributions can be made at redcross.org/donate.
'The caveat for this method is that the system uses the contributor's credit card ZIP code to determine the specific contribution geography,' Keeling said on Wednesday.
Another method is for the financial donor to write a personal check and memo the specific county/area they wish to support.
For the flooding event in Western Maryland, the most local office providing service is the American Red Cross of Allegheny Highlands, 1299 Pineview Drive, Suite 300, Morgantown, West Virginia, 26505.
Support
In a social media post Wednesday, Rep. April McClain Delaney acknowledged Western Maryland families and community as they begin to recover from the devastating flooding.
'I can only imagine how frightening it was for the children and I'm deeply grateful to the first responders who acted so quickly to bring them to safety,' she said.
'Thank you to the parents, teachers and school staff who stayed calm, and to the first responders from Maryland and neighboring states who stepped in to help,' McClain Delaney said.
'Your quick action made all the difference.'
She said her office is 'working closely with local and state officials and will continue to support the community through the recovery.'
Gratitude
Midland Administrator Craig Alexander said the town's fire hall Tuesday night served as a gathering spot for roughly 100 people.
Many of them were part of out-of-town staging teams prepared to help local folks in need.
Red Cross workers Wednesday distributed cleaning buckets.
'Everybody is working cooperatively,' Alexander said.
Midland's recreational facilities 'were hit hard' by Tuesday's flood, he said.
'The access road is washed out,' Alexander said.
Crews Wednesday worked to clean up after the storm, which included removal of debris from streets, he said.
'They're making pretty good progress,' Alexander said.
He said Strickland and state Sen. Mike McKay visited the town to assess the damage.
Alexander was hopeful state crews would soon clear a bridge on Maryland Route 36 that was partially blocked with trees.
'We're doing pretty good,' he said. 'We're just glad that nobody was hurt.'