One person is dead after flooding at an apartment building in Maryland as the remnants of Ida arrive in the Washington region. After severe early morning storms, more than 5,000 customers were without power, and dozens of roads were closed because of floodwaters.
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Forecasters said more heavy storms will hit the region throughout the day, with a tornado watch in effect until 7 p.m.
Ida to trigger severe storms in D.C. area, tornado watch issued
In Rockville, a 19-year-old man was found dead Wednesday morning after floodwaters rushed into the Rock Creek Woods Apartments complex shortly before 4 a.m., according to Montgomery County police and fire officials. A second person from the complex was unaccounted for as of 11:15 a.m., they said.
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The complex includes about 12 terrace-level apartments, some of which were flooded nearly to their ceilings, said Montgomery County Fire Chief Scott Goldstein. Rescue workers were able to get about 10 people out through their windows, said Montgomery County police spokeswoman Shiera Goff.
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Three people were taken to the hospital with injuries that were not life-threatening, and one firefighter suffered minor injuries.
Officials said about 150 people were displaced from the four apartment buildings, which are near Veirs Mill Road and Twinbrook Parkway. The displaced residents were taken to a recreation center in the area and were getting help from the Red Cross and the county’s health and human services agency, officials said.
Goldstein said it wasn’t immediately clear what caused the fast flooding at the complex. It could have been outdoor drains being clogged or overwhelmed by the water, he said, adding that officials were able to pump out water to help their rescue efforts. He called the flooding at the apartment buildings “horrific.”
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There were power outages throughout the region, as well.
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In Northern Virginia, more than 3,600 customers of Dominion Energy — mainly in the Tysons, Arlington and Springfield areas — were without power early Wednesday. Pepco said about 1,200 of its customers — mainly in the Petworth neighborhood in Northwest Washington and Hyattsville in Maryland — lost power.
No estimates were given as to when the electricity would be restored.
Dozens of roads were closed because of downed trees and flooding.
In Fairfax County, police said more than half a dozen roads were closed because of high water. Most of the closures in the Fairfax area were in McLean, Mount Vernon and Reston. At one point, the northbound ramp of the George Washington Parkway to the Capital Beltway was closed because of a downed tree.
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Virginia State Police said they were helping with heavily flooded roads and a “search and recovery” in hard-hit areas of Buchanan and Hurley.
In Maryland, flooding closed part of Sligo Creek Parkway and Beach Drive.
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In the District, officials said all of its coronavirus testing and vaccine sites were closed Wednesday because of the storm. There was also flooding along part of Rock Creek Parkway near the Kennedy Center.
Drivers are advised to avoid flooded roadways.
D.C. and Arlington public schools canceled all after-school activities. Schools in Baltimore and in Montgomery and Fauquier counties said they were closing early Wednesday because of the impending afternoon storms.
Earlier in the morning, the Cleveland Park stop on Metro’s Red Line was briefly closed because of flooding. In the midmorning, Metro riders also faced delays as trains were sharing a track on the Red Line between the Grosvenor and Twinbrook stops because of high water in the area.