Gov. Moore: 'I've been so inspired'
Despite devastation caused by Tuesday's flood, Slider talked of his gratitude for the close-knit community that welcomed the same-sex couple 20 years ago and has treated them like family ever since.
'When we moved here I didn't know what to expect,' he said. 'But we couldn't have picked a more accepting place.'
That gentle spirit and love of community felt almost palpable across the tiny town, which was covered with mud, muck and mold as residents welcomed Gov. Wes Moore Thursday.
'I'm appreciative of (Moore's visit) because Western Maryland usually seems to get left out,' Slider said. 'We need help.'
His plea was apparently answered.
Moore, after seeing the town's destruction, declared a state of emergency to strengthen Maryland's response to the flood-damaged region.
Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton led the governor, Congresswoman April McClain Delaney and others on a tour of spots hit hard by the flood, including Tri-Towns EMS, Boal Funeral Home and the local library.
During the walk, Moore talked to area residents on mud-covered sidewalks and porches.
Gov. Wes Moore in Westernport
Gov. Wes Moore is in Westernport on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
Some yards contained broken fences, crushed lawns and battered, scattered sandbags.
Folks filled dumpsters with debris as the Maryland State Police Trooper 5 helicopter circled above to further assess the damage.
Water poured from a drain pipe through the side of a wall at Westernport Elementary School, where cars were drowned and abandoned in the nearby parking lot.
Despite the wreckage, as sunset approached bells rang at St. Peter's Catholic Church and raised a reminder that life goes on in the small, rural town.
After the tour, the governor talked of what stood out most.
'It's the people,' he said.
'I've been so inspired,' Moore said. 'We're seeing the best of Maryland.'
'Within minutes'
Allegany County Emergency Services Interim Director Roger Bennett said Moore made state help available 'within minutes' of the flood.
Roger Bennett, April McClain Delaney, Wes Moore
Allegany County Emergency Services Interim Director Roger Bennett, center, talks to Congresswoman April McClain Delaney and Gov. Wes Moore in Westernport on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
'Everyone at the state got us resources,' he said of aid, including water rescue teams.
Maryland departments, including natural resources, police and environment responded, Bennett said.
Helping hands
Kristi Williams recently moved to Delaware, but is a lifetime member of Tri-Towns EMS.
Kristi Williams
Kristi Williams
'This is my hometown,' she said of Westernport, where she was a police and fire commissioner.
Despite wearing medical boots on both feet due to injuries sustained in snow, Williams returned to the EMS station to help clean up after the flood.
Folks rallied to help clean and set up fans and dehumidifiers, she said.
'It was a lot of hands so it made the work light,' Williams said. 'We were all working together so well. It became a feeling ... an emotion.'
Mike Wilhelm and his granddaughter's boyfriend, Aden Cebotar, tossed items into a dumpster parked near Main Street.
Mike Wilhelm and Aden Cebotar
Mike Wilhelm, right, and Aden Cebotar toss items into a dumpster parked near Main Street in Westernport on Thursday, May 15, 2025.
'I lost everything out of my basement,' Wilhelm said, adding that water rose to just 18 inches below the cellar's ceiling.
His items destroyed by the flood included a large freezer, tools, a washer, a dryer and a hot water tank.
While the loss amounted to several thousand dollars, 'It isn't much compared to other people,' Wilhelm said of many of his neighbors.
Mold started
Allegany County Library System Executive Director John Taube said water rushed through side doors at the Westernport branch.
He believes that caused furniture to float into a panic bar and open another door of the building.
More than 30 chairs then floated downtown, Taube said.
He described some of the building's damage.
'You can see the water marks on the wall,' Taube said. 'The mold has already started to grow.'
He said a $21,000 flood insurance policy will cover roughly $500,000 for the building and $181,000 for contents.
'Luckily, our shelving is steel,' Taube said of being able to power wash the units.
Due to flooding, the Westernport and George's Creek library branches are closed.
The ACLS Board of Trustees, which for months has discussed solutions for a budget deficit, will meet at the LaVale branch from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Monday.
'Very grateful'
Tri-Towns EMS Chief Justin White was 10 years old when the town flooded in 1996.
Gov. Wes Moore, Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton and Tri-Towns EMS Chief Justin White
Gov. Wes Moore, Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton and Tri-Towns EMS Chief Justin White
'This is worse now,' he said. 'Just the mud and wreckage and debris ... it's a lot.'
White thanked area residents and nearby EMS stations from Keyser and southern Garrett County for helping Tri-Towns with the flood damage.
'We're very grateful,' he said. 'The community has stepped up.'
His wife, Brittany, said the couple's two teenage sons and their family home remained safe during the flood, but the experience was surreal.
'It was almost like living in a movie,' she said.
Brycen Garner, 20, said his mom is an EMT at Tri-Towns, where he also volunteers.
Brycen Garner
Brycen Garner
'It's been a shock,' he said of witnessing the flood and seeing it damage a friend's house. 'I was up on the hill and could just hear it.'
Laundry, prisoners
State Sen. Mike McKay said he's working on creative approaches to help folks in Westernport.
State Sen. Mike McKay
State Sen. Mike McKay
As president of the Mid- Atlantic Association of Cleaners, he reached out to the leader of Procter & Gamble's Tide division to bring a tractor-trailer filled with running washing machines and dryers to Westernport for residents who, due to the flood, lost their ability to clean laundry.
A local church agreed to facilitate the mobile laundry unit, McKay said.
'I'm working on getting that to happen,' he said. 'My goal is to have it here within three weeks.'
McKay said he is also working with the state Department of Corrections to provide inmate labor to clean the town.
The workers would be from low-crime backgrounds, vetted and properly supervised, he said.
McKay said he wants to make sure areas damaged by the flood receive long-term help.
He compared the needed aid for the recent weather event to immediate attention that surrounds a newborn but later fades when most needed.
'The flood to me ... is kind of like a young mother who just gave birth,' McKay said.
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