Published on : Tuesday, May 29, 2018
Gary Gardner who is the police chief of Howard County mentioned that witnesses observed the man go under the water on Sunday evening and he is yet to surface. Earlier police identified him as 39-year-old Eddison Hermond of Severn.
Further south, the center of Subtropical Storm Alberto reached the northern US Gulf Coast on Monday evening.
Gardner said Hermond who is a national guard member and air force veteran were with a group at the La Palapa Grill & Cantina. He asserted that Hermond was making efforts to help by holding a door open as water rushed in the building when a woman approached and said that she was trying to find her pet.
Simon Cortes, who owns the restaurant, said Hermond is “a super nice guy” who was always out in the community showing support when it worked to rebuild from devastating flooding less than two years ago.
Lt Col Charles Kohler, a spokesman for the guard, said Hermond is a sergeant assigned to the training department at the Camp Frettard Military Reservation in Reisterstown. Lt Col Kohler said Hermond spent more than 10 years on active duty in the air force, starting in 1996. He joined the national guard in 2009. Kohler said the thoughts and prayers of his fellow guard members were with Hermond and his family.
Howard County executive Allan Kittleman said earlier Hermond had not been seen since about 5.20pm on Sunday, when brown water was raging down Main Street. Emergency workers were “making every effort”, he said.
Kittleman said the other priority for authorities was to assess the condition of buildings which contain shops, restaurants and homes. The area remained blocked off, even to residents and business owners. Officials said they were heartbroken to see the community so severely damaged by flooding again, less than two years after a flood killed two people and caused millions in damages.
Flash floods sent cars floating down Main Street while first responders rescued dozens of people trapped in buildings swamped by water. As the flood waters receded late on Sunday, officials began the grim task of assessing the destruction. Rescue crews were going through the muddied, damaged downtown, conducting safety checks. Kittleman said the damage appeare to be worse than in July 2016.
Tags: Central Maryland, Eddison Hermond