By Theresa Winslow and Pamela Wood
The Maryland Gazette
ANNE ARUNDEL, Md. — After a weekend filled with drenching rain, Monday morning brought more rain and flooding to the northern part of the county, resulting in a flash flood warning issued for extreme northern Anne Arundel and southern Baltimore counties.
Under 0.75 inches of rain officially fell at BWI Thurgood Marshall Airport by early Monday morning, but other areas had totals of up to 4 inches. Still, the official tally for the month now stands at 2.58 inches, well over the normal amount for the entire month.
Drivers in Brooklyn Park, Linthicum and Glen Burnie can attest to that.
Five people had to be rescued from vehicles that were stranded under an overpass in the 4900 block of Belle Grove Road when the fast-moving water reached approximately 18 inches deep just before 9 a.m. Monday.
The four adults and one child were in two minivans that sought refuge underneath the Interstate 895 overpass, said Capt. James Rostek, a county Fire Department spokesman.
Firefighters from the county’s swift-water rescue team, the Linthicum station and the Brooklyn Park station got the people out safely with no injuries, Rostek said. The roadway was opened a short while later.
County police also reported flooding on Belle Grove Road at 10th Avenue in Brooklyn Park, Maple Road at Baltimore-Annapolis Boulevard in Linthicum, Furnace Branch Road West at Interstate 97 in Glen Burnie, Arundel Corporation Road at Cherry Lane in Glen Burnie and on various parts of Ritchie Highway in Glen Burnie.
Police also were called to assist with a blown transformer at Ritchie Highway and Mountain Road.
Monday morning’s rain also disrupted travel for those traveling by light rail. The light rail line traveling from North Linthicum to Patapsco was closed at 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Monday, Maryland Transit Authority spokesman John Wesley said. The closure was caused by damage to the rail line’s shoulders due to flooding.
When the line reopened, it was down to a single track, Wesley said. MTA officials are asking that travelers prepare for a slight delay in service over the next 10 days or so as crews repair the damage, Wesley said.
Around 8:30 a.m. Monday, the State Highway Administration closed one lane on northbound Interstate 97 near the Baltimore Beltway for approximately 30 minutes, SHA spokesman Charlie Gischlar said. After the lane was reopened, SHA crews directed drivers around a large pool of standing water in the road, Gischlar said.
A total of 1,405 Baltimore Gas and Electric customers were without power Monday morning and nearly all, or 1,165, were in the county. By Tuesday afternoon, almost all power had been restored.
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