The Latest: Witness saw missing man swept up in flood
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (AP) - The Latest on flash flooding in Maryland (all times local):
3:15 p.m.
A man who went missing after flash flooding hit a central Maryland city was trying to help a woman rescue her cat amid the rising waters.
Howard County Police Chief Gary Gardner says witnesses saw the man go under the water Sunday evening, and he did not surface.
Police earlier identified him as 39-year-old Eddison Hermond of Severn.
Gardner said Monday that the missing National Guard member and U.S. Air Force veteran had been with a group at the La Palapa Grill & Cantina. He says Hermond was trying to help by holding a door open as water rushed in the building when a woman approached and said she was trying to find her pet.
Simon Cortes, who owns the restaurant, says Hermond is "a super nice guy," who was always out in the community showing support when it worked to rebuild from flooding less than two years ago.
___
2:05 p.m.
A man missing on Memorial Day after floodwaters ravaged a historic Maryland county seat is a U.S. Air Force veteran, as well as a current member of the Maryland Army National Guard.
Emergency workers are searching for 39-year-old Eddison Hermond in Ellicott City, which was hit hard Sunday evening by flash flooding from an intense rain storm.
Lt. Col. Charles Kohler, a spokesman for the guard, says Hermond is a sergeant assigned to the training department at the Camp Frettard Military Reservation in Reisterstown. He says Hermond was not on duty Sunday evening and had not had guard training during the weekend.
He says Hermond spent more than 10 years on active duty in the Air Force, starting in 1996. After a break in military service, he joined the Maryland National Guard in 2009.
Kohler says the thoughts and prayers of his fellow guard members are with Hermond and his family.
___
11 a.m.
A man who went missing in a flash flood in historic Ellicott City, Maryland, is an active member of the Army National Guard.
Howard County police identified him Monday as 39-year-old Eddison Hermond of Severn.
Police said on their Facebook page that he was reported missing to them at 12:30 a.m. Monday, but was last seen about 5:20 p.m. Sunday in the area of La Palapa Grill & Cantina. That was at the height of the flash flooding, which sent stormwaters cascading down Main Street.
Police say, "He has not been located despite ongoing searches of the area."
They confirmed that a photo circulating on social media of Hermond, showing him in Army fatigues and standing near a military Jeep, is his.
___
10:15 a.m.
As floodwaters receded and revealed the damage in Ellicott City, Maryland, residents and business owners in the flood-prone historic district could see the scope of the challenge ahead of them.
They face another mammoth cleanup and another daunting comeback.
Local resident Nathan Sowers owns the River House Pizza Co., an outdoor eatery in the old mill town's business district. After all the hard work rebuilding from a destructive July 2016 flood, Sowers says he's feeling overwhelmed at the prospect of tackling yet another revival.
Asked whether he's committed to building back anew he said: "We'll see. It takes a lot of money and a lot of time."
But Sowers also says he saw other hard-hit locals laughing and joking about their troubles Monday morning - a good sign the Maryland town will launch yet another comeback from raging floodwaters.
___
9 a.m.
One person is missing in flash flooding that struck historic Ellicott City.
Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman says a man was reported missing to police about 12:30 a.m. Monday. He hasn't been seen since about 5:20 p.m. Sunday, when brown water was raging down Main Street.
Kittleman said the missing man is in his 40s and is not a resident of the historic district. He did not identify him further.
He said emergency workers are "making every effort to locate that individual."
Kittleman said the other priority is to assess the condition of buildings, which contain shops, restaurants and homes. The area remains blocked off, even to residents and business owners.
___
11:03 p.m.
Officials in Ellicott City, Maryland, say they are heartbroken to see the community so severely damaged by flooding again less than two years after a devastating flood killed two people and caused millions in damages.
Flash floods sent cars floating down Main Street Sunday, while first responders rescued dozens of people trapped in buildings swamped by water.
As the flood waters receded late Sunday, officials were just beginning the grim task of assessing the destruction. No fatalities or missing people were reported. But rescue crews were still going through the muddied, damaged downtown conducting safety checks.
Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said the damage appeared to him to be worse than the flooding of July 2016.