200 Rescued from Maryland Elementary School as Flood Waters Reach Second Floor

During her time at work, Alley Wade learned that the school that her sons attended in Allegany County, Maryland, had been flooded and that rescue efforts were still underway.

Her distance from Westernport Elementary School was thirty minutes, and when she eventually arrived within a few blocks of the school, she was informed by a law enforcement officer that she could not proceed any further. This caused her to enter a state of panic.

As Wade put it, “It was a little terrifying.” In reality, I was experiencing a panic attack.

Later on, she arrived at a position where she was able to witness her eldest son, William, who was ten years old at the time, being rescued by a boat. It took her some time to be reunited with both of her children, including her youngest son, Quinton, who was also saved. She waved and shouted out to him, but it took her some time to be back together with them.

According to the emergency services agency of the county, her sons were among the about 150 students and 50 adults who were evacuated using 15 rescue boats on Tuesday. The flooding that occurred in the region was caused by heavy rains.

While the children were being evacuated from the school, they reported seeing water that was as close as possible to the ceiling of the first level. By the time the day was over, their jeans had been pulled up to their knees, and their shoes were drenched in water. However, they were fine.

William was upset and “clingy” once they were all reunited at a local church. It wasn’t that she didn’t mind, but his younger brother Quinton told her that he had fun, which was reassuring after the lengthy ordeal.

“He said, ‘I had the time of my life, until the teacher wouldn’t give us a snack out of the snack bin,'” she recounted. “That was his quote.”

In addition, Wade mentioned that the floodwaters caused the teachers at the school to lose their vehicles. The video that she provided also shows a number of vehicles that are adrift in the parking lot due to the high water levels.

According to Wade, she had never before encountered floods on the same scale as the one that occurred on Tuesday, but her husband did in 1996.

The people who were evacuated are safe, and there have been no reports of injuries, according to Kati Kenney, who is the spokesperson for the emergency services department in Allegany County. Despite the fact that no other schools were impacted, she said that there were reports of people being stuck inside their homes and vehicles.

Kenney stated that water rescue teams from neighboring counties are actively assisting with response operations. He also mentioned that the Georges Creek region continues to be a worry for those who are responding to emergency situations.

The creek reaches a level of moderate flooding.

By Tuesday at five o’clock Eastern Time, the level of Georges Creek had reached a moderate flood level of 12.12 feet. In just six hours, it surged by more than seven feet. The threshold for major flooding is 12 feet, and the record for the highest level ever recorded was 12.77 feet in 1996.

Based on the information provided by the National Weather Service, an emergency situation involving flash flooding was declared in the regions of Westernport and Barton in Maryland, as well as Piedmont in West Virginia.

As a rainy pattern continues in the Mid-Atlantic region, rainfall rates have dropped; nevertheless, additional rainfall is anticipated into the late afternoon and nighttime hours, as well as on Wednesday when the pattern is predicted to continue.

A flash flood warning was also issued in Grantsville, Maryland, as well as in Keyser and Piedmont, West Virginia, according to the National Weather Service. These four locations are located in West Virginia. The region was seeing moderate rain showers that were moving toward the north and northwest sides of the region, with some regions receiving three to four inches of rain.

The likelihood of flooding in Westernport

In an interview with the Associated Press, Mayor Judy Hamilton of Westernport stated that the town has a history of being susceptible to severe flooding, and that the most recent time the town had flooding that was catastrophic was in the year 1996.

On Tuesday, however, the authorities were not anticipating it.

She stated to the Associated Press that “it just seemed to happen all at once.” The words “My heart is breaking”

Hamilton stated that she is attempting to make contact with Wes Moore, the governor of Maryland, in order to make a request for emergency assistance.

Pedestrians and motorists alike face challenges in streets that are flooded.

In the city of Cumberland, Maryland, videos that were shared on social media showed streets that were flooded and vehicles that were floating in water that was knee-deep.

The films also indicated that Westernport and Lavale, Maryland, which are located just outside of Cumberland, were severely impacted by the water. As the water crept closer to structures, motorists had a difficult time driving on roads that were in terrible condition. The films show water pouring across streets, and the water can be heard in the recordings.

A video taken by a CNN affiliate in Somerset County, Pennsylvania, showed roadways that were flooded as a result of heavy rain from the storm.

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