A Maryland county reported more than 100 rescue calls Saturday in a two-hour period during intense rainfall and flash floods — numbers normally seen in a 24-hour period.
Significant rainfall from storms caused flash flooding in parts of Montgomery County, Maryland, located north of Washington, D.C., on Saturday, trapping many in buildings and cars.
Across the D.C. region, areas like Silver Spring, Md. and Great Falls, Va., were hit with intense flooding following heavy rain on Saturday evening, prompting the National Weather Service to issue a flash flood emergency for Silver Spring and surrounding areas. The alert, shared on Saturday night, has never before been used in the D.C. area since flash flood emergencies started being issued by the National Weather Service in 2003, and is the most critical flood warning, according to The Washington Post. Along Sligo Creek, Montgomery County flood sensors indicated that waters rose 10 feet in just 30 minutes.
According to the National Weather Forecast, rainfall amounts varied across the region — Tacoma Park received between 2.5-3.5 inches, Silver Spring reported 3.5-4.5 inches, and the Chevy Chase area saw as much as 2.5 inches while Great Falls received up to 3.5 inches. “As far as the rain amount, you know, [it] might not sound all that substantial, but it had … happened in like an hour, hour and a half. So it’s a very intense rain rate,” said Cody Ledbetter of the National Weather Service Baltimore/Washington.
While no injuries were initially reported, dozens of water rescues were conducted throughout the evening. At 8:30 p.m., Montgomery County Park Police responded to a report of 20 people trapped inside a Chevy Chase building, carrying out water rescues of those stranded within.
“Approximately 20 park patrons stayed inside the building with officers, for a couple of hours, until they were able to drive out a back road without incident,” Tracy Lieberman of Montgomery County Park Police said.
Montgomery County resident John Angel told CBS Washington affiliate WUSA-9 about a harrowing situation in which his wife and daughter were trapped inside their SUV on Sligo Creek Parkway.
“We’re on the phone, we’re talking and then she was like, ‘There’s a lot of water.’ And then she just hung up,” Angel said.
His family was successfully evacuated from their vehicle with the help of neighbors, who quickly moved to help.
“When I came outside, I saw this car and it was basically just stuck in the flood,” Angel said. “The next thing I heard was people yelling, trying to get her out of the car – it happened quick. They got her out — people in the neighborhood. Thank God.”
Residents were shocked by how fast the waters rose. Angel, who has lived in the area for 20 years, said he had never witnessed such intense flooding before.
As of Sunday morning, Sligo Creek Parkway remained closed because of the floods. Other areas also reported road closures throughout Saturday evening.
The flash flood emergency was valid through 9 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. Looking ahead, forecasts predict some light showers Sunday and throughout next week, but it isn’t until late next week when the possibility of more notable thunderstorms increases.
