Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman on Monday called on the County Council to convene a special session in order to extend the State of Emergency he declared after flash flooding destroyed parts of historic Ellicott City over the weekend.
The County Council said it will hold an emergency legislative session 8 a.m. Wednesday. There will be a public hearing on emergency legislation 8 a.m. Friday, immediately followed by another legislative session to give final consideration to the emergency legislation.
The county code requires the council authorize any local state of emergency that lasts longer than seven days. In an executive order calling for the special session, Kittleman said the flooding disaster would last much longer than that.
The emergency "continues to threaten health, safety, welfare, and property in the affected area," Kittleman wrote in the order.
He noted "collapsed streets and sidewalks, possible structural collapse of buildings, roads, and sidewalks.
He also noted potential fire hazards and the necessity for emergency personnel to have access to the affected area, and said the emergency declaration would help "devote all necessary resources to the county's recovery effort."
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