Flash flooding forces evacuation of elementary school in western Maryland

BALTIMORE AP Flooding in rural western Maryland forced the evacuation of an elementary school Tuesday afternoon as water began to breach the second floor according to local leaders Homes and businesses in downtown Westernport were also inundated with floodwaters after hours of heavy rain Administrators reassured the populace that students and staff were safe as concerned parents and other district members posted on social media wondering how long the emergency situation would last at Westernport Elementary School Allegany County spokesperson Kati Kenney declared responders used rescue boats to safely evacuate the school About students and adults were evacuated during boat trips Kenney stated additional evacuations were underway in nearby areas with reports of people trapped in cars and houses but no injuries had been announced as of late Tuesday afternoon She commented urgency crews from surrounding counties were helping with the response in the small neighborhood near the West Virginia line Another elementary school was also evacuated and students at a middle school were sheltering in place the Allegany County Department of Emergency Services reported Tuesday evening Functionaries mentioned three crisis shelters had been opened across the county Aaron Stallings rushed to Westernport Elementary to pick up his little sister earlier Tuesday afternoon but he soon realized his car wouldn t make it Stallings stated he hopped a fence and made his way on foot through the shin-deep water I knew my car was not going to get through so I had to find an alternate passage he reported Stallings revealed children were being kept on the second and third floors when he made his way inside Minutes after he located his sister with the help of the principal the water level on the first floor had already risen again to his knees and was rushing under the school doors Once he waded back outside with his sister Stallings turned around to capture video of the scene where parked cars and a dumpster were floating through the school s parking lot Alley Wade also left work early when she heard about flooding downtown She and her husband hoped to pick up their two sons ages and but they couldn t get to the school because roads were already closed Instead they spent the greater part of the afternoon standing around in the rain anxiously watching the floodwaters rise It was stressful because I felt so helpless Wade commented The family was ultimately reunited after the students had been evacuated Wade mentioned there were a lot of crying kids but thankfully everyone was safe Roads throughout the area were closed due to flooding including major arteries according to the Allegany County Sheriff s Office Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton declared the town has been prone to severe flooding in the past but they weren t expecting it nowadays It just seemed to happen all at once she declared My heart is current She noted the evacuated students were taken to higher ground and sheltered in a church building where they would be kept safe by teachers and staff until their parents could pick them up With a population under people Westernport is located in the far corner of western Maryland Its downtown took shape in a valley where Georges Creek flows into the North Branch Potomac River The National Weather Organization communicated widespread flash flooding in the area Tuesday afternoon We are closely monitoring the flood conditions that are present across Western Maryland due to heavy rainfall especially in Allegany County Gov Wes Moore commented in a social media post adding that the state and local agents were actively responding to the inundation Hamilton commented the last time Westernport suffered from devastating floods was in But we re strong and we reliably build back she announced In West Virginia Gov Patrick Morrisey declared a state of emergency Tuesday night in Mineral County along the Maryland confines due to severe storms and heavy rains that resulted in flash flooding The declaration allows the state to mobilize personnel and guidance to the area