ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (AP) — A Maryland county official says nine of 10 buildings damaged by flooding in historic Ellicott City have been acquired by the county, and at least a portion of them will be preserved.
Howard County Executive Calvin Ball gave an update Monday on recovery and planning. He says only four of the 10 buildings on lower Main Street will be demolished, rather than all 10.
Ball says they have added sound speakers for a temporary emergency alert system for flash flooding, making it four times as loud.
Last year, floodwaters gutted shops and swept a visitor to his death. It happened less than two years after another flood ravaged the town, killing two people.
Ball says 25 businesses have either opened or reopened since he took office in December.
