Ellicott City
Flooding is seen in Ellicott City, Maryland, May 27, 2018, in this still image from a video from social media. Reuters/Todd Marks

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency in Howard County on Sunday after a massive rainstorm caused devastating flash flooding in the Baltimore region. Ellicott City, which is known for its flood-prone location, witnessed flooded streets and toppled buildings.

The river rose 17.8 feet in two hours Sunday afternoon to 24.13 feet, setting a new record from the previous high of 23.6 feet. Heavy rainfall prompted the National Weather Service (NWS) to issue a rare flash flood emergency.

"This is an extremely dangerous and potentially catastrophic situation," the NWS said, adding that at least five roads in Baltimore have been shut down due to flooding.

No injuries or fatalities were reported as of late Sunday, Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said.

"Do not stand and watch the water rescues — leave the area and do not put yourself in harms way," the Maryland Emergency Management Agency tweeted. "The teams are already out there helping others. Please do not be their next recovery they will have to make today."

Rescue operations were underway in Ellicott City as authorities urged residents to evacuate downtown or move to higher ground.

The latest catastrophic incident came nearly two years after a significant flooding was caused due to nearly six inches of rain in under two hours time. Two people died, hundreds of vehicles were damaged and several buildings were destroyed in the July 2016 incident.

"The Baltimore area should see some much drier weather over the next couple of days," AccuWeather Meteorologist John Feerick said of the latest flash floods. "A cold front could trigger a shower or thunderstorm on Tuesday afternoon, but we're not expecting anything to the intensity of Sunday's rainfall."

Photos and videos shared on social media showed the devastating effects of the flash flooding in Ellicott City.

Kittleman said Sunday that this storm was worse than in 2016, adding that residents and business owners “are faced with the same daunting task again... We will be there for them as we were in 2016.”

“I can tell you my heart is broken thinking about what the people have gone through here and the people’s lives who were devastated two years ago and rebuilt. Now, they’re faced with the same daunting task again," he added.

Ellicott City has been rebuilding since the 2016 flooding that caused severe damages. Local officials recently said 96 percent of the businesses were back in operation since the last flooding.

Just weeks before the latest flooding, the governor announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had granted the state and county more than $1 million to pay for projects aimed at reducing the flood risk in areas around Main Street.

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