Maryland Residents Rescued from Vehicles Stuck in Floodwaters

Several people in Maryland were rescued from their vehicles after they were stuck in floodwaters as a result of heavy thunderstorms in Washington, DC, Maryland, and Virginia that have brought flash flooding.

Due to the flash flooding on Saturday, several “water rescues” were made in Silver Spring and Takoma Park, Maryland, according to WTOP News. Officials explained that due to “sewers in the area” being backed up, the water was not draining properly.

Dave Dildine, a reporter with WTOP News, “witnessed two women who were briefly trapped in a car” in floodwaters in Silver Spring. In video footage posted to social media, a bystander was seen rescuing one of the women out of the vehicle, while officials from Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Service rescued the other woman:

One of the women was pulled from the vehicle by a bystander while the other was assisted onto higher ground by Montgomery County Fire Rescue Services. Pierce Tewksbury had driven through the torrent of water just minutes earlier.

The driver of the vehicle explained that “it looked like it wasn’t that deep,” adding that after going around the corner, “the car began slowly spinning around the flooded intersection.”

Silver Spring, along with Great Falls, Virginia, were described as being the “hardest hit” as a result of heavy rainfall bringing between five to 5.5 inches “in less than two hours,” the Washington Post reported.

The outlet noted that the “torrents were fueled by exceptional humidity levels that have hovered at near-record levels for weeks.”

The deluge caused waterways to overflow their banks, transformed roads into rivers and stranded vehicles in high water. The torrents were fueled by exceptional humidity levels that have hovered at near-record levels for weeks. Atmospheric moisture is on the rise because of human-caused climate change, increasing flood risks.

Montgomery County officials reported receiving “more than 100 rescue calls” within a two-hour period on Saturday, according to CBS News.

One man, John Angel, explained to WUSA9 News how he had been on the phone with his wife, who was on Sligo Creek Parkway, when she expressed that there was “a lot of water” and then hung up.

“We were on the phone talking and she was like, ‘There’s a lot of water,’ and then she just hung up,” Angel explained to the outlet. Angel added that residents helped to get his wife and their three-year-old daughter out of the vehicle.