Heavy rainfall and rising waters Friday afternoon led to several road closures and swift water rescues in Harford County, officials say.
A "line of heavy rain" proceeded up the central and eastern portions of Harford County Friday afternoon into the evening, according to Dave Williams, spokesman for the Harford County Fire and Ambulance Association, causing numerous flash floods.
Harford County volunteer fire companies were involved in swift water rescues not only in Harford County, but also in Baltimore, Cecil and even Lancaster, Pa., counties, Williams said Saturday afternoon. Only one, to his knowledge, he added, involved people.
At Fashion Way and Fashion Court in Edgewood, Joppa-Magnolia Volunteer Fire Company volunteers responded to a call involving a vehicle stuck in high water, with three adults and one child stranded on the roof. Joppa-Magnolia was joined by the Abingdon, Havre de Grace's Susquehanna Hose Co. and Kingsville swift water teams, successfully rescuing all four people, Williams said.
"Those four individuals were removed from the vehicle, removed from the water and were able to be escorted to higher ground," he said. "To my knowledge, they were not transported to the hospital."
Throughout the afternoon and into Friday evening, Williams added, fire companies responded to several high water rescues, all of which, as far as he knows, involved vehicles in high water where the occupants had already escaped to higher ground.
Those incidents included a flooded vehicle at Route 7 and Bynum Run, near Riverside and Edgewood Road at the railroad overpass, Williams added.
"Often times, folks try to drive through high water, their vehicles stall and they exit and leave," he said.
The Susquehanna Hose Company, along with the Darlington Volunteer Fire Company and other "Harford County assets," were dispatched into Cecil County on standby and later into Lancaster County for swift water rescues.
Although all Harford County roads were open Saturday, several were closed Friday evening, Williams said, including Harford Road at the county line and several places in Baltimore County, Route 7 in Harford County and Belair Road in Baltimore County. Vale Road near Southampton Middle School was also closed.
Bel Air Volunteer Fire Company Chief William Snyder had the road closed at Carrs Mill Road and Winters Run in Bel Air because of the creek's "rapidly" rising waters, Williams reported, effectively preventing any possible rescues in that area.
"That was one thing that helped us right here in the Bel Air area," he said.
Harford County Emergency Operations Center Deputy Manager Rick Ayers wrote in an e-mail Monday that 13 roads were temporarily closed in Harford County as a result of Friday's storm. Those included Carrs Mill Road, Laurel Brook Road, Whitaker Mill Road, Henderson Road, Joppa Farm Road, Old Robin Hood Road, Edgewood Road, Fashion Way, Wheel Road, Singer Road, Craigs Corner Road, Cherry Hill Lane and Stafford Road.