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Saturday, January 25, 2020

A River Runs Through It

Water was beginning to come under the door of the Classics and Collectibles shop in historic Ellicott City, Md. Proprietor Joan Eve and her long-time friend Gary Weltner had just finished restocking after moving every bit of inventory out of the store and onto trucks the previous spring weekend in 2018. They didn’t want to take any chances after a forecast of heavy rains and flash floods that never came. “It took us the week to get it all back in and in place,” says Gary.

They had reason to be concerned. Nearly two years earlier Joan’s store was demolished when floodwaters pushed an SUV through the front of her shop and washed away the entire contents of Classics and Collectibles.

As rising water swirled around their ankles, Joan and Gary realized they had to get out. Six-foot glass display cases were falling like dominoes all around them as the back wall was breached and floodwater gushed in. The front door was the only way out. Unable to push it open, Gary had to smash the glass window in the door, step outside and reach back in for his friend as two cars floated by.

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2 comments:

Anonymous said...

It started flooding after developers cleared hundreds of acres around the area over the years to build new neighborhoods. Beautiful town, great restaurants and shops. Over developed like everywhere else. I wish them luck!

Use to ride my horse in Ellicott city before smart growth said...

yes

that's true

farms made way for cheap housing