Ellicott City flood: Man missing after '1,000-year' torrents devastate Maryland

A man is missing after "once in 1,000-year" flash flooding has ripped through parts of Maryland for the second time in two years

Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said the priorities are finding the missing man - identified as Edison Hermond, 39 - and assessing the condition of buildings that house shops, restaurants and families.

“We're certainly making every effort to locate that individual,” he said. Mr Hermond was reported missing somewhere in downtown Ellicott City, Maryland at 12.30am on Monday. But the Maryland National Guardsman was last seen at around 5pm on Sunday in the Baltimore suburb. According to a friend’s post on Facebook, Mr Hermondwas “helping rescue people” at the height of the flooding

“It’s going to be a long road again,” Mr Kittleman told CNN about the second flood to hit the area in 22 months. More than eight inches (20 cm) of rain fell on the town in just five hours on Sunday.

In the July 2016 storm, Ellicott City received 6.6 inches (17 centimetres) of rain over a two-to three-hour period.

Mr Kittleman said this year’s flooding is “worse” than the July 2016 waters that caused millions of dollars in damage.

"If you look at the devastation and the damage, I would certainly say it's worse than 2016," he said. "We've had areas that were not even damaged at all two years ago terribly damaged this time."

Dramatic video showed incredibly fast-moving water through the historic main streets, some of them dating back to the 1700s. Cars were swept up in the flow and then deposited on top of one another, on sidewalks, all covered and stuck in mud. Buildings also flooded.

Governor Larry Hogan said that "every bit of assistance" would be provided to the area, but that “nobody expected another storm of this magnitude".

Mr Hogan added: “They say this is a once every 1,000-year flood and we've had two of them in two years”.

Emergency workers have reported no fatalities so far, but they are still working their way through all the damaged areas. Nearly two years ago two people died as a result of the flooding.

The fire department had reported that some buildings were collapsing after the ground floors were demolished by the water.

Jessica Ur, a server at a cafe on the city's Main Street, told The Baltimore Sun she saw three or four parked cars being lifted and carried away by the flood waters. Maryland Governor Larry Hogan has declared a state of emergency for the city.

The latest flood will no doubt raise questions about whether enoug was done to protect the area after the flooding of 2016. Mr Hogan said temporary improvements were in place and more things were in the works to reduce the community's vulnerabilities. But he said big changes take time, and no one could expect such a huge flood so soon after the last one.

After the last flood, the state gave Ellicott City $1m for repairs and future flood prevention. "It took two years to get the money and it's ironic that we just got it this month," Mr Hogan said.