Rising River Prompts Water Rescues in Maryland
June 29--Flooding of the Monocacy River prompted multiple water rescues countywide on Sunday, although only minor injuries were reported.
The first rescue occurred shortly after 12:30 a.m. Sunday morning, when Rocky Ridge Volunteer Fire Co. crews responded to a call reporting a car stuck on the flooded road in the 10,700th block of Mumma Ford Road in Rocky Ridge, according to Capt. Kevin Fox, a spokesman for the Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services. Responders located a man outside of his car and helped him navigate to dry land, Fox said.
The rescue took less than 20 minutes, and no medical attention was needed, Fox said. Crews from Woodsboro Fire Co., New Midway Fire Co., Thurmont Community Ambulance Co. and Emmitsburg Ambulance Co. also responded.
Two people out on the Monocacy River in a canoe suffered minor injuries after their boat collided with debris, launching them into the river, according to Chip Jewell, volunteer fire chief with Frederick County Division of Fire and Rescue Services. Crews from Walkersville, Junior and United Steam Fire Cos. launched a search for the missing boaters after the 3 p.m. call.
Both had made their way to safety by the time they were found 45 minutes later, one off Monocacy Ford Road near Worman's Mill and the other off Biggs Ford Road in Walkersville, Jewell said. One was taken to Frederick Memorial Hospital for non-life-threatening injuries.
A third rescue was made at an island in the Potomac River near Brunswick, according to Jeremy Heflin, a manager with Frederick County Emergency Communications.
Crews from Brunswick Volunteer Fire Co. and Brunswick Volunteer Ambulance and Rescue Co. responded to a call shortly before 5 p.m. reporting two people trapped on an island in the Potomac River near the Brunswick boat ramp off Maple Street. The two were rescued from the island by boat, with no reported injuries, Heflin said.
The National Weather Service issued a flood warning for Monocacy River through 5 p.m. Sunday. Water levels had reached 14.4 feet by 7 a.m. Sunday, according to NWS, and were expected to reach at least the 15-foot minimum for flooding over both river banks later that day. Andy Rosenthal, a meteorologist with the Germantown-based WeatherBug, said river levels peaked at 15.4 feet at about 2 p.m. Sunday. A second peak at 15.8 feet was projected for 8 to 10 p.m., with water levels expected to drop off after that, Rosenthal said. Although Rosenthal described the flooding as minor, he said the high waters reached were enough to wash away a person or a car.
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Copyright 2015 - The Frederick News-Post, Md.
