![]() The project ideas were compiled, categorized and published in a report on recommendations to the County by the Community Advisory Group (CAG), which acted as a bridge between the County government and the community in the recovery process. In total, DPZ received 223 ideas from the community for consideration in their Master Planning process. These meetings addressed the perception that development worsened flooding, explained that hazard mitigation would take time and resources, and provided a forum for feedback. The Department of Planning and Zoning (DPZ) held four community meetings, hosted in the fall and winter of 2016. Finally, to jumpstart businesses reopening, Howard County waived $38,000 in fees and expedited 203 permits. HCEDA also assisted with flood insurance questions and helped struggling business owners rework their business models. As a direct result of these micro-missions, HCEDA determined that SBA loans would be insufficient and, in some cases, unsuited, to address recovery needs for the Ellicott City business owners and instead qualified individuals for gap-loans from HCEDA. A major contribution from the Howard County Economic Development Authority (HCEDA) was to conduct “micro-missions,” escorting affected residents into the disaster area in four-wheel utility vehicles. Within days, the Recovery Framework was approved for use, and soon afterwards, Howard County hired a Recovery Manager to coordinate the recovery mission.Įxpediting economic recovery was a key priority. ![]() Within 48 hours of the flood, the County Executive conducted a Town Hall meeting, bringing impacted residents and businesses together with state and local representatives. Hodges had previously experienced similar flooding in her home county, and her insights allowed Howard County leadership to anticipate and begin problem-solving previously unforeseen challenges. Lori Hodges, a Director of Emergency Management in Colorado, was a crucial member of the IMT. Within 24 hours of the flood, the county restricted access to damaged areas, began stabilization work, and brought in an Incident Management Team (IMT). ![]() Howard County leaders survey the damage to historic Ellicott City. Without public support, Howard County would find it difficult to rebuild and revitalize Main Street. Around half of downtown businesses didn’t have flood insurance and were wary of reopening if they were likely to experience another flood. The traumatic flash flooding event, combined with the towns’ history of susceptibility to flooding from the Patapsco River, left many residents and business owners without strong confidence in re-investment. In the uncertain interim, Howard County executives and OEM staff began planning recovery efforts on their own. Though Maryland Governor Hogan declared a statewide emergency just days after the event, the President did not sign a major disaster declaration for Howard County until 48 days later. OEM had received buy- in from all agencies identified in the Recovery Framework to lead the 10 RSFs prior to this event. Prior to the flood, Howard County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) staff had attended a FEMA recovery training for local governments that assisted in formulating and documenting a Recovery Framework for Howard County, identifying 10 Recovery Support Functions (RSFs) crucial to local disaster recovery. The town has been prone to flooding since its founding, though most previous floods originated from the Patapsco River at the bottom of the valley spreading into the city. The terrain of the city includes steep inclines and an abundance of nonporous granite. Founded in 1772 at the bottom of a valley by Johan and Joseph Ellicott, to harness the energy of the Tiber and Patapsco Rivers to power the brothers’ mills. The area suffered $67.2 million in reduced economic activity, $1.3 million in reduced revenues for Howard County, and between 151 and 550 jobs lost.Įllicott City is an unincorporated town in Howard County, Maryland. The water affected 104 businesses and 90 homes, wrecking the economic heart of the city. Enough water to fill an eighty-story tall, one-acre building surged out of the tributaries above the town and gushed through the historic district along Main Street, sweeping cars down streets like “napkins in the wind”. On July 30, 2016, Ellicott City was caught in a two- hour deluge that dropped six inches of water in two hours. Damage to historic storefronts downtown after the flash flood.
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