Around 150 students and 50 adults evacuated Westernport Elementary School in Maryland via rescue boats Tuesday after severe flooding reportedly reached the second floor.
It took 15 boat trips to safely get those in the school to safety, Allegany County spokesperson Kati Kenney said. Students were taken to a church on higher ground, where they remained under the care of teachers and staff until their parents arrived.
"The first floor had been flooded all the way to the ceiling,” William Wade, a fourth-grader at the school, told KDKA.
"I'm just happy to be alive," Wade added.
Heavy rainfall on Tuesday also affected parts of Virginia and Pennsylvania, including Albemarle County, Virginia, where Jordan Sims, 12, went missing after being swept away by floodwaters overtaking a roadway, a 911 caller reported.
In an update Wednesday, the Albemarle County Fire Rescue announced that crews found a deceased person, believed to be Sims, near Newtown Road and have suspended the search.
The body will be taken to the Medical Examiner's Office in Richmond for official identification, police said.
"This is a heartbreaking outcome, and our hearts are with the Sims' family and loved ones," Albemarle County Fire Rescue Chief Dan Eggleston said in a Facebook post. "We are incredibly grateful to our local and regional partners who supported this search effort with urgency, professionalism, and care."
In Westernport, Maryland, Mayor Judy Hamilton noted that while the town has a history of severe flooding, Tuesday’s events were unexpected.
"It just seemed to happen all at once," she said. "My heart is breaking."
Parts of Allegany County, Maryland, received over 4.65 inches of rain in 24 hours, with more expected through Wednesday morning, according to the governor's office. Residents noted they haven’t seen flooding this bad since 1996.
Hours of heavy rainfall in Maryland also swamped downtown homes and businesses, prompting evacuations in nearby areas. Emergency crews from surrounding counties were assisting, but no injuries had been reported as of late Tuesday afternoon.
Flood watches have been issued for the Washington, D.C., area, including parts of Virginia, Maryland, and West Virginia, with up to 3 inches of rain expected and up to 5 inches possible along the Blue Ridge Mountains.
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