Consistent rain caused the Gunpowder Falls to swell, overtake roads and flood businesses. Employees at Hallaton Inc., an environmental contracting company in Sparks, worked for hours to clear water from the shop Wednesday.
"We didn’t expect it. Really didn’t think it had rained that much but obviously we were wrong," owner Todd Harman said.
Harman said the flood happened in minutes.
"At 1:30 a.m., I checked the camera, parking lots empty. At 2:20, I check the camera, it was completely up to the doorstep and it’s like okay, time to run. I started calling a few of the guys to come down here and start doing what we do," Harman said.
He knew it was a possibility. His company is right next to the Gunpowder Falls State Park.
"During the summer, this is a great place. Everyone comes on the weekends to bike ride, walk their dogs, fish. It’s a great place to be except once every three or four years," Harman said.
This was the second worst flood for him in the last decade. The river also overtook nearby roads. He and his employees worked for hours to clean up.
"The shop had 3 feet of water in it, so we are spraying the mud out of there and cleaning all the tools," Harman said. "There’s still water inside. There’s still a lot. The dehumidifier will be running for a few days so there’s still a lot of work to do."
With more rain expected, he says they aren't in the clear yet, but he hopes the worst is behind them.
"We’re gonna leave all the bags in front of the doors and windows so that if it does happen we’re not doing a fire drill," Harman said.
