Maryland flash flooding prompts rescue of hundreds of students trapped in school by rising waters
WESTERNPORT, Md. – Family members waded through waist-deep floodwater to reach their children in Western Maryland on Tuesday after torrential rain quickly inundated three schools in Allegany County, prompting emergency rescues.
A Flash Flood Emergency was declared near Westernport, Maryland when storms dropped up to 5 inches of rain within hours.
Allegany County Administrator Jason Bennett said the area is known as the "Mountainside of Maryland" because it's surrounded by mountains. All that water flows downhill, and by Tuesday afternoon, "we began to have real problems," Bennett told FOX Weather.
Photos show cars floating in the parking lot of an Allegany County school.
"This one absolutely came up on us very quickly," Bennett said.
According to a statement from Allegany County Public Schools, water at Westernport Elementary School covered Church Street and flooded the first floor of the three-story building. Students and staff moved to the second floor until Emergency Services set up swift-water rescue boats to take them to safety.
Flooding along Maryland Route 36 restricted access to George's Creek Elementary School, and students were evacuated to Mountain Ridge High School. Students and staff sheltered in place at Westmar Middle School and Mountain Ridge High School.
First responders from Western Maryland, including multiple volunteer fire departments and swift-water rescue teams, headed to the scene, rescuing 150 students and 50 staff from Westernport Elementary.
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Some families took things into their own hands, wading through the rising water to reach their children and help rescue others.
A photo shared by the Maryland State Fire Marshal's Office shows a man carrying a girl on his shoulders with water up to his chest. Officials said he was a good Samaritan, not with a fire department.
Allegany County Public School officials said 12 students of different ages stayed overnight at Mountain Ridge High School until their families could pick them up on Wednesday morning.
"We went from having parking lots that were bare to being filled with water within a 30-to-40-minute timeframe. That's why we had a couple of the schools that kind of got stuck the way they were," Bennett said. "So it was a very difficult time, a lot of water to deal with and a lot of damage and a lotta cleanup for us to deal with today."
Photos shared by the Kitzmiller and Bloomdale volunteer fire departments show boats carrying students away from the school and the playground submerged in water.
"ACPS wishes to also thank the Allegany County Department of Emergency Services and all first responders, for coordinating the rescue of our students and employees and putting their lives on the line to make them safe," the school district said in a statement.
Potomac Fire Co. No. 2 Public Information Officer Jonathan Dayton estimated that about 200 homes and buildings were flooded in Allegany County.
County officials said no one was reported injured or missing during the event in Western Maryland.
Tragically, the same storms caused flooding in West Virginia and Virginia, where a 12-year-old boy was swept away by floodwaters. His body was found on Wednesday.Original article source: Maryland flash flooding prompts rescue of hundreds of students trapped in school by rising waters
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