Rockville Flooding: One Dead, Missing Resident Found Safe

ROCKVILLE, MD — The resident missing from a Rockville apartment complex that was flooded on Wednesday morning has been found safe and unharmed, Montgomery County Police said. They were out of state. The flooding that trapped some in their basement apartment on Twinbrook Parkway early Wednesday morning killed one 19-year-old man. Authorities have not released his identity.

Heavy rains caused flooding in the hallway, and the water was so high residents couldn't get out, Montgomery County Fire and Rescue spokesman Pete Piringer said on Twitter.

About 150 people from 60 households have been displaced, County Executive Marc Elrich told reporters Wednesday. The Mid-County Community Recreation Center in Silver Spring has been turned into a reception center for anyone affected by flooding who needs help, and the county planned to keep it open until at least 10 p.m. Wednesday night.

If many people needed housing Wednesday night, the county will create a shelter, Chief Administrative Officer Earl Stoddard said. If only a handful of people need housing, officials might place them in hotels for the night.

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A video shows a fire and rescue raft attempting to break open the windows and doors to rescue residents. Rescue personnel were going to try to help residents get back into their apartments to grab essential items.

“We need to find and fix whatever problem created this sad and tragic event," Elrich told reporters Wednesday afternoon.

Stoddard said that a nearby culvert — a tunnel for water under a road — may have played a role.

Several officials said that the rise in flash flooding in Montgomery County is a sign of climate change. The area is experiencing rainfall that was not common when the area was developed, they said.

“In our area, it has often manifested itself in increased flash flooding events," Stoddard said of the signs of climate change.

This story was updated on Sept. 2 at 8:42 a.m.