Residents, business owners allowed 5 days of access to damaged Ellicott City properties

ELLICOTT CITY, Md. - People forced out by flash floods in Ellicott City finally get a chance to go back and try to salvage what is left.

From Thursday, Aug. 18 through Monday, Aug. 22, Howard County will allow residents and business owners access to clean, pack and move belongings.

Each day, they will be allowed access from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Building owners can also use this time to bring in contractors to assess the damage and plan for rebuilding.

Residents and business owners can use cars, vans, pickups and small box trucks to enter the Main Street area for the retrieval of larger items and belongings.

"This is a crucial window of time for those affected to remove their belongings," said Howard County Executive Allan H. Kittleman in a press release. "It is the longest period of access since the storm hit on July 30, and the first time we are allowing people to bring larger vehicles onto Main Street. We appreciate their patience as we've been continuing to make significant repairs to ensure public safety."

Anyone planning to bring a vehicle should call 410-313-2900 for approval.

Meeting areas will be at the following locations:

- Thursday, Aug. 18; Friday, August 19 and Monday, August 22 | St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 3695 Rogers Avenue, Ellicott City

- Saturday, Aug. 20 and Sunday, Aug. 21 | George Howard Building, 3430 Court House Drive, Ellicott City

Dumpsters will also be made available for debris and clean up.

The unexpected storms struck several weeks ago in July of this year and destroyed many roads and businesses in the historic area of town. Several were rescued and two people were killed.