Posted on 06/26/2006 8:30:28 AM PDT by Pyro7480
Storms, floods, mudslides tie up D.C. area
By MARTY NILAND, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Flooding from a weekend of heavy rain shut down the Justice Department building, Internal Revenue Service headquarters and the National Archives on Monday, and created a nightmare for commuters with washed-out roads, mud blocking the Capital Beltway and delays on the area's rail lines. District of Columbia officials urged people to avoid the flooded downtown areas.
"They need to give us time to make sure everything's OK," said Michelle Pourciau, the acting director of the D.C. Department of Transportation. "We know that more rain is coming ... We're trying to prepare for the additional rain as well."
The storm dumped more than 7 inches of rain in 24 hours at the National Arboretum, and a flash flood watch was in effect for the region with another 2 inches of rain expected Monday.
Rain is in the forecast every day this week because of a stubborn low-pressure system off the coast, the National Weather Service said.
In the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Md., firefighters had to use boats to rescue 30 people trapped inside a recreation center Sunday night, said Capt. Oscar Garcia, a spokesman for the Montgomery County fire and rescue service.
The high water shut down some Amtrak and commuter rail lines into the capital, and the service that resumed between Washington and Philadelphia Monday morning was delayed. Even Metro subway service in the city was disrupted because of high water on the electrified rails downtown, said Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.
"Riders should bring an umbrella and a bucket full of patience," Farbstein said.
Drivers weren't having much more luck. Underpasses were flooded, and on the Capital Beltway, a mud slide piled five feet of debris on the roadway near Alexandria, Va., backing up traffic. Transportation crews were working to open at least some lanes for the morning commute but warned of long delays, said Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Joan Morris.
Maryland State Highway Administration spokesman David Buck said falling trees and flooding were expected to be problems all week.
"People need to build in a lot of extra time for the next several days," he said. "It's going to be a challenging week."
At the National Archives, researchers were told not to come in — the moat surrounding the building on Pennsylvania Avenue had flooded, spokesman Susan Cooper said. Cooper said a preliminary assessment indicated all records held there were "safe and dry."
President Bush also got an up-close look at the damage — a large elm tree fell on the White House's front lawn overnight, blocking one of the roads.
On Maryland's Eastern Shore, 10 to 12 inches of rain fell over the weekend in Federalsburg, washing out roads and flooding church basements. Mayor Betty Ballas declared an emergency Sunday for the town of 2,600 residents, 60 miles southeast of Baltimore near the Delaware line. There were no reports of deaths or serious injuries.
In northeastern Maryland near the Pennsylvania border, Harford County officials Monday issued a mandatory evacuation of cabins along the Broad Creek watershed as the creek began to overflow its banks.
In Seaford, Del., cars were floating in a Wal-Mart parking lot after heavy rain on Sunday. Amy Walls, a spokeswoman for the city, said between 10 and 15 people were evacuated from homes in an area known for flooding.
Thelma Gillespie said water was waist-high in the family room of her split-level home and three of her vehicles were submerged up to their roofs.
"It's just a mess. I don't know where to start," Gillespie said. "All my furniture down here was new last year, and I don't have flood insurance. I don't know what we're going to do."
In Maryland, Route 307 was completely washed out in a large section, down to the gravel, said Maryland State Police spokesman Russell Newell. The road will have to be completely rebuilt in order to be used again.
"It is quite a serious situation," Newell said. "There's a lot of roads that have been disabled due to heavy rains and flooding."
A late round of storms that rolled through central Maryland Sunday night knocked out power to thousands of Pepco customers. Flash flood warnings were issued for Baltimore city and Baltimore, Prince George's, Montgomery, Howard, Harford and Cecil counties.
In Federalsburg, Janice Todd, 47, helped haul soggy carpet out of the basement of Park Lane Church of God.
"We had to rip carpets out of two rooms," she said. "We've had just a little bit of damage — nothing we won't overcome."
Heavy storms caused flooding and downed trees and power lines in the Washington, D.C. area, Monday, June 26, 2006, including this large oak tree that fell at President Bush's doorstep in front of the White House. Heavy winds and rains knocked the large tree down overnight. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
Delmarva news ping!
Karl Rove is out of control with his weather machine - attacking another predominantly-black city.
bummer
It's gonna be in the triple digits up here in the Pacifist Northwest today.
At least it's a dry heat...
DelMarVa PING!!!!!!!!!!
You beat me to it Pyro - I'm still pulling links and stuff.........but it's still bad throughout Dorchester and Caroline Counties in Maryland and the Seaford area of Delaware.
The sun is trying to poke out it's head here in Accomac.....
The rain up near Philly's been bad also .. I just bleeping poured rain the last 2 days
Good news bump........
How many more inches of rain until Congress is washed away? (wishful thinking...)
Well, at least with IRS part. ;-)
Anyone have any info on how bad it is (or isnt) in Middlesex County VA?
I saw news video this morning of cars up to their windows in water on "Maryland's Eastern Shore". Anybody know exactly where that was?
That was probably Federalsburg, MD, which was mentioned in the article.
Nothing but one giant skeeter factory this summer.. Swat!
Sorry to see the elm bite it at the WH.
I thought one of our local TV talking heads was gonna cry announcing the tree, planted during the era of Teddy Roosevelt.
I wonder if it made any noise when it fell. (Probably said, "Progressive".)
Prayers and best wishes to all those in the mess and thanks for posting..
pics follow :-)
Further west than before, I daresay.
Seriously, it's where the Atlantic Ocean ends along the border of the state of Maryland. But that's not important now.
Meanwhile here in central PA the 10-day forecast is all wet. :(
We've had a huge amount of rain in western Fairfax Co. over the past week, but no flooding. I guess we've been lucky. So far.
I'm in southeastern Fairfax, just south of the Beltway, and we've had a huge amount of rain as well. It has created a lot of potholes, and we lost power for less than an hour, so I can't really complain.
i dropped my daughter at work in Alexandria this AM and saw cars littering both sides of GW Parkway with a lake in between in and outbound lanes. i am amazed that i was able to get her there and back into DC in an hour or so.
Live in Reston, VA and streets were flooded near USGS - -
Had some water in the basement even though we did water proofing a few years ago. Thought we were going to lift off the foundation and float away yesterday. Record 6" of rain yesterday at Dulles airport......
I just looked out the window.
It's raining.
Again
I saw a couple of cars go off the road on HWY 7 just west of Leesburg, yesterday. Some folks don't know how to drive ...
i would not have wanted to be out in the deluge last night, that's for sure. glad we live on a hill and that the power went out only for 2 minutes and then came back on.
Cars are submerged in floodwaters in front of a Wal-Mart store in Seaford, Del. Updated 6/26/2006 11:56 AM ET
Yeah, that is characteristic of what meteorologists call "training." Showers and thunderstorms hit the same area over and over, and usually caused by a stationary front.
That looks like what I saw on the 'news' this morning ... I guess that talking gekko will be busy writing checks for a while ...
Watch out for looter-guy!
It's a Wal*Mart ... maybe the New Orleans police will show up to do a little "shopping".
It is an AP photo.
A tree feel down in front of the White House as torrential rain has triggered flooding and power outages throughout the Washington region. The severe weather shut down some federal offices and disrupting transport links to the US capital.(AFP/Jim Watson)
Workers clear a fallen-tree, at the front door of the White House, that was knocked down during heavy winds and storm conditions in the Washington area overnight, June 26, 2006. REUTERS/Larry Downing (UNITED STATES)
A lone police car, left, sits in the flooded 12th Street tunnel with Constitution Avenue in the background in Washington Monday, June 26, 2006 as federal office buildings, highways and commuter rail lines in the capital region were closed following storms that dumped more than 7 inches of rain in some places, prompting the evacuation of some homes. (AP Photo/Nick Wass)
Downingtown, Pa. ended up in floodwaters that were too deep for his Jeep
I remember driving up to New Hope PA from Willow Grove and seeing where someone had painted a line on a retaining wall showing how high the water was.....it was higher that our car.
#34, ping.
I told a friend of mine on the phone this morning (I live in Caroline County MD) if I see Looter Dude goin' down the street, that's when I'll know it's really bad. ;)
Yeah, I was one of those near Coatesville - I've had 10.5" of rain since Friday.
I know exactly where that guy was - It's about 2 miles from my house and the water was 4' deep at the lowest point of that road. Idiot is right.
I'm over in Montgomery Country .. having a break of sun at the moment, which is a nice change from the down pour of rain the last 2 days
It's really been hit or miss here in Accomac County...........It sprinkled a bit this morning here, but they had a deluge only a few miles away.
this weather pattern is totally weird and apparently is going ot be hanging around until at least Wednesday.
Not boding well for my trip to Dover on thursday - I'm just glad I postponed it, I had originally planned to go tomorrow.
Its pouring here at the moment and the radar says theres a big red and yellow splotch headed my way. I've been looking for the definition of cubits on the Internet ...
Bottom line, do not go anywhere in the region until it stops raining in a couple of days.
People unfamiliar with the area should know that particular part of the town of Federalsburg which got the attention yesterday often floods - there've been any number of major floods on that stretch of the Marshyhope over the years.
Much less rain overnight here, but a dark dawn this AM - we'll see.
I had forgotten how often the Marshy Hope floods, but this was a rather extraordinary one.
I don't know what time it started, but it has been raining here all morning.....I was talking to my husband a little bit ago, as he was getting off the bridge/tunnel in Virginia Beach - blue sky and sunshine.........****SIGH****
Forecast of More Rain Prompts Flash Flood Watch
06/27/2006 7:39 AM ET
UNDATED- With more rain in the forecast, a flash flood watch has been issued for all of Delmarva through Wednesday morning.
Recent heavy rains hit parts of Delmarva hard, particularly northern Dorchester and southern Caroline counties on Maryland's Eastern Shore and Sussex County in Delaware. And with more predicted, area officials are taking extra precautions to prevent any further flooding. In addition, officials in both Maryland and Delaware are assessing the damage already caused by Sunday's flooding.
So far there have been no reports of injuries or deaths from the flooding. But the flooding damaged- even wipeed out- some roads and forced the evacuation of some residents from their homes. Many vehicles also ended up ruined after being submerged in flood waters.
Officials with the Maryland Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) said late Monday afternoon that members of MEMA as well as local officials from Caroline and Dorchester counties are performing preliminary damage assessments in the areas that received flood damage from the recent storms, while officials at the state Emergency Operations Center continue to monitor the storm and provide assistance to local first responders.
Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr. dispatched the teams to the Eastern Shore early Monday morning to perform a preliminary damage assessment, the first step to see if there is enough damage to qualify for federal assistance to help with the recovery. The teams are focusing on damage in the areas of Federalsburg, Williamsburg, Hurlock, Galestown and other communities in eastern Caroline and Dorchester counties.
While several state agencies responded to flood-related incidents over the weekend, most of Monday's storm-related activities were handled by local first responders and the Maryland State Highway Administration (SHA).
During a Monday afternoon media conference at Seaford City Hall, officials from various local, county and state agencies, as well as Delaware Gov. Ruth Ann Minner and Sen. Thomas R. Carper and Congressman Michael N. Castle, discussed Sunday's flooding. They said they hope the worst is over.
Officials said Sunday's rains caused so much flooding in the Seaford-Blades area that at least 200 residents had to evacuate their homes in three communities southeast of U.S. 13. Also, more than 100 patients had to be moved from the LifeCare at Lofland Park rehabilitation facility on Middleford Road in Seaford, amid concerns about the integrity of the nearby Poplar Street spillway.
Delaware transportation officials on Monday declared the structure stable, and patients were returning to the LifeCare facility from nearby Nanticoke Memorial Hospital late this afternoon, said Renee Morris, spokeswoman for the hospital.
Meanwhile, some residents of the Hastings Estates, Holly View, and Mobile Gardens mobile home parks began to return to their homes Monday afternoon, but power remained shut off for safety reasons to most of those communities, said Joseph Thomas, director of the Sussex County Emergency Operations Center.
Those needing shelter, about 35 people, remained at the Woodbridge High School in Bridgeville, where the American Red Cross of the Delmarva Peninsula was continuing to assist displaced residents, Thomas said. The shelter will remain open until power is restored for residents affected by the flooding, Thomas said.
One of the most measurable effects from the heavy rains was the damage to the area's road system. According to the Delaware Department of Transportation, as many as 39 roadways in the greater Seaford area were affected or damaged, either because of standing water, overflowing creeks or breaches of nearby dams and spillways.
Rushing floodwaters washed out at least three bridges in the Seaford area, including spans at Concord, Craig's Mill and on Woodland Road.
In the city of Seaford, officials reported that there was no damage to the city's water or sewer systems as a result of the heavy rain, said spokeswoman Amy Walls. Both systems were fully functional with no threat of contamination to public drinking water.
City crews were on the streets through the day Monday tending to water, sewer and storm water systems, clearing debris from drains, for example. Additionally, city electric crews were going door-to-door in the hardest hit areas of Seaford to ensure that residents have the option of turning off their service if needed.
While flood waters have receded, they could rise again, said Sussex EOC Director Thomas. The National Weather Service in Mt. Holly, N.J., has advised state, county and local officials that on-and-off showers are expected to continue the next several days. Another strong low-pressure system from the south could bring the heaviest precipitation Tuesday night into Wednesday, with as much as 2 to 4 inches of additional rainfall.
"Area residents should expect and be ready for the possibility of more flooding," Thomas said. "We're not out of this pattern yet. With the ground already saturated, this system could make matters worse."
Thomas advised property owners to secure their homes and businesses now, if possible. Anyone needing sand bags can contact Sussex County Emergency Operations at (302) 855-7801.
As a further precautionary measure, Delaware officials said they have lowered the water level near area dams to prepare to take in more rain.
Area police and firefighters say they have taken the precaution of parking their vehicles at different locations. They hope that will help them avoid any closed roads.
On the Eastern Shore of Maryland, the SHA has closed state Route 307 (Williamsburg Road) between Hurlock and Federalsburg and state Route 313 (Eldorado Road) between Sharptown and Eldorado is closed in Dorchester County on the Eastern Shore. SHA crews are working to repair and reopen Routes 307 and 313.
Route 20 between Seaford and Reliance, Md. is the only major state road in Delaware that is still closed due to flooding.
Members of the community affected by flooding and in need of assistance can contact the Delmarva Chapter of the American Red Cross at 1-800-777-6620, then press 0 for an operator.
Residents and visitors are reminded to use extreme caution while traveling in vehicles, as more rains are predicted and flooding many occur at anytime along thoroughfares and secondary roadways. Drivers are cautioned that just several inches of swift moving waters on roadways can float a motor vehicle. Motorists should never drive through roadways covered with water.
SPECIAL TROPICAL DISTURBANCE STATEMENT
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
730 AM EDT TUE JUN 27 2006
SATELLITE AND RADAR INFORMATION INDICATE THAT A SMALL LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM COULD BE FORMING ABOUT 140 MILES SOUTH OF CAPE FEAR NORTH CAROLINA. THIS SYSTEM HAS THE POTENTIAL TO DEVELOP INTO A TROPICAL DEPRESSION AT ANY TIME AS IT MOVES NORTH TO NORTH-NORTHEASTWARD AT 15 TO 20 MPH. AN AIR FORCE RESERVE RECONNAISANCE AIRCRAFT WILL INVESTIGATE THE SYSTEM LATER THIS MORNING TO DETERMINE IF A CLOSED CIRCULATION EXISTS AT THE SURFACE.
RESIDENTS ALONG THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST SHOULD CLOSELY MONITOR THE PROGRESS OF THIS SYSTEM TODAY AS TROPICAL STORM WARNINGS COULD BE REQUIRED WITH LITTLE NOTICE. EVEN IF THIS SYSTEM DOES NOT FORM INTO A TROPICAL CYCLONE... SHOWERS AND THUNDERSTORMS ACCOMPANIED BY LOCALLY HEAVY RAINFALL AND STRONG GUSTY WINDS WILL GRADUALLY SPREAD ONSHORE THE NORTH CAROLINA COAST TODAY AND EARLY TONIGHT.
The good news for some people is this storm could suppress convection elsewhere (like west of DC) and save them from more rain. The bad (or worse) news is that would mean tons of rain for you.
Nothing like a ray of sunshine on a dark and gloomy day..... *******SIGH*********
All that fresh water is not going to be good for the clam beds.
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