Posted on 06/26/2006 8:30:28 AM PDT by Pyro7480
Storms, floods, mudslides tie up D.C. area
By MARTY NILAND, Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON - Flooding from a weekend of heavy rain shut down the Justice Department building, Internal Revenue Service headquarters and the National Archives on Monday, and created a nightmare for commuters with washed-out roads, mud blocking the Capital Beltway and delays on the area's rail lines. District of Columbia officials urged people to avoid the flooded downtown areas.
"They need to give us time to make sure everything's OK," said Michelle Pourciau, the acting director of the D.C. Department of Transportation. "We know that more rain is coming ... We're trying to prepare for the additional rain as well."
The storm dumped more than 7 inches of rain in 24 hours at the National Arboretum, and a flash flood watch was in effect for the region with another 2 inches of rain expected Monday.
Rain is in the forecast every day this week because of a stubborn low-pressure system off the coast, the National Weather Service said.
In the Washington suburb of Chevy Chase, Md., firefighters had to use boats to rescue 30 people trapped inside a recreation center Sunday night, said Capt. Oscar Garcia, a spokesman for the Montgomery County fire and rescue service.
The high water shut down some Amtrak and commuter rail lines into the capital, and the service that resumed between Washington and Philadelphia Monday morning was delayed. Even Metro subway service in the city was disrupted because of high water on the electrified rails downtown, said Metro spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.
"Riders should bring an umbrella and a bucket full of patience," Farbstein said.
Drivers weren't having much more luck. Underpasses were flooded, and on the Capital Beltway, a mud slide piled five feet of debris on the roadway near Alexandria, Va., backing up traffic. Transportation crews were working to open at least some lanes for the morning commute but warned of long delays, said Virginia Department of Transportation spokeswoman Joan Morris.
Maryland State Highway Administration spokesman David Buck said falling trees and flooding were expected to be problems all week.
"People need to build in a lot of extra time for the next several days," he said. "It's going to be a challenging week."
At the National Archives, researchers were told not to come in — the moat surrounding the building on Pennsylvania Avenue had flooded, spokesman Susan Cooper said. Cooper said a preliminary assessment indicated all records held there were "safe and dry."
President Bush also got an up-close look at the damage — a large elm tree fell on the White House's front lawn overnight, blocking one of the roads.
On Maryland's Eastern Shore, 10 to 12 inches of rain fell over the weekend in Federalsburg, washing out roads and flooding church basements. Mayor Betty Ballas declared an emergency Sunday for the town of 2,600 residents, 60 miles southeast of Baltimore near the Delaware line. There were no reports of deaths or serious injuries.
In northeastern Maryland near the Pennsylvania border, Harford County officials Monday issued a mandatory evacuation of cabins along the Broad Creek watershed as the creek began to overflow its banks.
In Seaford, Del., cars were floating in a Wal-Mart parking lot after heavy rain on Sunday. Amy Walls, a spokeswoman for the city, said between 10 and 15 people were evacuated from homes in an area known for flooding.
Thelma Gillespie said water was waist-high in the family room of her split-level home and three of her vehicles were submerged up to their roofs.
"It's just a mess. I don't know where to start," Gillespie said. "All my furniture down here was new last year, and I don't have flood insurance. I don't know what we're going to do."
In Maryland, Route 307 was completely washed out in a large section, down to the gravel, said Maryland State Police spokesman Russell Newell. The road will have to be completely rebuilt in order to be used again.
"It is quite a serious situation," Newell said. "There's a lot of roads that have been disabled due to heavy rains and flooding."
A late round of storms that rolled through central Maryland Sunday night knocked out power to thousands of Pepco customers. Flash flood warnings were issued for Baltimore city and Baltimore, Prince George's, Montgomery, Howard, Harford and Cecil counties.
In Federalsburg, Janice Todd, 47, helped haul soggy carpet out of the basement of Park Lane Church of God.
"We had to rip carpets out of two rooms," she said. "We've had just a little bit of damage — nothing we won't overcome."
Heavy storms caused flooding and downed trees and power lines in the Washington, D.C. area, Monday, June 26, 2006, including this large oak tree that fell at President Bush's doorstep in front of the White House. Heavy winds and rains knocked the large tree down overnight. (AP Photo/Ron Edmonds)
Delmarva news ping!
Karl Rove is out of control with his weather machine - attacking another predominantly-black city.
bummer
It's gonna be in the triple digits up here in the Pacifist Northwest today.
At least it's a dry heat...
DelMarVa PING!!!!!!!!!!
You beat me to it Pyro - I'm still pulling links and stuff.........but it's still bad throughout Dorchester and Caroline Counties in Maryland and the Seaford area of Delaware.
The sun is trying to poke out it's head here in Accomac.....
The rain up near Philly's been bad also .. I just bleeping poured rain the last 2 days
Good news bump........
How many more inches of rain until Congress is washed away? (wishful thinking...)
Well, at least with IRS part. ;-)
Anyone have any info on how bad it is (or isnt) in Middlesex County VA?
I saw news video this morning of cars up to their windows in water on "Maryland's Eastern Shore". Anybody know exactly where that was?
That was probably Federalsburg, MD, which was mentioned in the article.
Nothing but one giant skeeter factory this summer.. Swat!
Sorry to see the elm bite it at the WH.
I thought one of our local TV talking heads was gonna cry announcing the tree, planted during the era of Teddy Roosevelt.
I wonder if it made any noise when it fell. (Probably said, "Progressive".)
Prayers and best wishes to all those in the mess and thanks for posting..
pics follow :-)
Further west than before, I daresay.
Seriously, it's where the Atlantic Ocean ends along the border of the state of Maryland. But that's not important now.
Meanwhile here in central PA the 10-day forecast is all wet. :(
We've had a huge amount of rain in western Fairfax Co. over the past week, but no flooding. I guess we've been lucky. So far.
I'm in southeastern Fairfax, just south of the Beltway, and we've had a huge amount of rain as well. It has created a lot of potholes, and we lost power for less than an hour, so I can't really complain.
i dropped my daughter at work in Alexandria this AM and saw cars littering both sides of GW Parkway with a lake in between in and outbound lanes. i am amazed that i was able to get her there and back into DC in an hour or so.
Live in Reston, VA and streets were flooded near USGS - -
Had some water in the basement even though we did water proofing a few years ago. Thought we were going to lift off the foundation and float away yesterday. Record 6" of rain yesterday at Dulles airport......
I just looked out the window.
It's raining.
Again
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