Governor Larry Hogan declared a state of emergency in Howard County following severe weather that caused property damage and heavy flooding in Ellicott City Saturday night.
The executive order was issued Sunday at 10 a.m. and will give support and assistance to those affected by flood damage in Howard County.
Governor Hogan met with Howard County Officials Sunday to assess the damage.
RELATED: Severe weather causes major flooding in Baltimore, Ellicott City
“We are coordinating all available resources to address this emergency as quickly as possible,” Governor Hogan said in a news release. “Our administration is working closely with local officials, including Howard County Executive Allen Kittleman, to respond to this major storm event."
At Howard Co EOC with @HoCoGovExec getting updated on the damage from last night's storm pic.twitter.com/JIe1Y2OoNU
— Larry Hogan (@LarryHogan) July 31, 2016
Congressman Elijah Cummings also joined Howard County officials to assess flood damage caused by the storms.
Cummings released a statement praising first responders "for their swift action to save dozens of residents stranded in their homes and their cars."
"Recovering from this disaster will be long and difficult, but I am certain that together we will rebuild all the areas impacted by the storms,” he said.
Residents in need of non-emergency assistance can call Howard County Police at 410-313-2200.
The Howard County Office of Emergency Management has asked residents to avoid the Ellicott City area, as search and rescue operations and damage assessments are still underway.
Per Howard County Office of Emergency Management: Please do not go to look at the flood damage in Ellicott City. pic.twitter.com/ITDAEpiJiW
— MDMEMA (@MDMEMA) July 31, 2016
More than five inches of rainfall hit the Ellicott City area, causing several road closures and emergency evacuations. Howard County officials opened the Roger Carter Recreation Center at 3000 Milltowne Drive in Ellicott City as an emergency shelter for those who need to shower, use the bathrooms or charge mobile phones. More than 10,000 Howard County residents were without power Saturday night.
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