ELLICOTT CITY, Md. _ Ellicott City business owners and residents had a chance to access their Main Street properties Tuesday for the first time since a flash flood devastated the historic Howard County town Sunday.
Howard County officials were granting credentials to business owners, property owners and residents, and would escort them to Main Street from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday. They would each get only 10 minutes to access their property and retrieve essentials.
Residents and shop owners were lined up outside the George Howard building waiting for credentials and access Tuesday morning, with some calling the situation a case of "twisted deja vu" from the disastrous flood in 2016.
Julia Sanger and her mother Donna Sanger, who owns the shop Park Ridge Trading Company on Main Street, returned from their escorted trip with the store's cash register, kitchen linens and a few electronics in hand. They could take only what their carry on their laps in a county golf cart. The cash register counter, which was bolted to the ground, was upturned. In 2016, the water mark in the store was at 7 feet; this time it was on the ceiling.
The one item that did make it _ again _ was "Mighty Pig," a small, ceramic pig figurine that also managed to survive. Julia Sanger said she left it in the shop for now. "He's looking over us."
Depending on the amount of inventory they have left, Julia said they may sell at farmers markets in the coming weeks."It's like, OK, when can we get back in and start shoveling," she said.
Sally Fox Tennant, who owns Discoveries on Main Street, worried she's been hit harder than last time as she waited for a county truck to escort her to Main Street. She remembered all the work that went in to fighting to reopen less than two years ago, and said she's not as sure she's ready to do it again.
Tennant said she'll wait to assess the damage, but this time will do so through a lense of knowing how much work it would take to reopen.
"It's a matter of dollars and cents. There's a difference between hardship and losing everything," she said.
On Tuesday morning, Max Robinson, whose videos of Sunday's flood have gone viral, awaited an escort to get access to his apartment near Portalli's restaurant. With only 10 minutes to get in and out, he said his focus was on grabbing the essentials and a few days worth of clothes.
Jeff Braswell owns several properties on Main Street and said he was four weeks from opening a new watch shop and coffee bar, called Jaxon Edwin, when the flood hit. When he thinks about reopening, he said shop owners will need to have a united front. Main Street, he said, will need "anchors" in order to thrive again, he said. "We need to work together."
Julia Sanger expressed similar sentiments.
"Don't give up on this little town. People who are here are strong and are fighters, we need people to still believe in us. Ellicott City as a whole, there's something special about it and worth preserving."
Also on Tuesday morning, Howard County officials announced a sewage overflow at 4547 Bonnie Branch Road, just outside Old Ellicott City in Ilchester. The Department of Public Works first learned of a potential overflow, which was caused by a main break, at 8 a.m. Monday. The overflow was stopped at 8:30 p.m. Monday.
According to the Department of Public Works' Bureau of Utilities, tap water in the area is safe to drink. Stream sampling will be conducted Tuesday.
