200 rescued from flooded Maryland elementary school using boats amid heavy rain

CNN

13-05-2025

Rescue boats were used to evacuate an elementary school in Allegany County, Maryland, Tuesday as heavy rains brought flooding to the region, the county's emergency services department said.
Approximately 150 students and 50 adults were inside Westernport Elementary School at the time, and about 15 rescue boats were used as floodwaters began to reach the second floor, Kati Kenney, spokesperson for the department, told CNN.
Those evacuated are safe and no injuries have been reported, according to Kenney. No other schools were affected, but there were reports of people trapped in homes and cars, she added.
'Water rescue teams from surrounding counties are actively assisting with response efforts,' Kenney said, adding that the Georges Creek region remains an area of concern for emergency responders.
The creek reached moderate flood level at 12.12 feet as of 5 p.m. ET Tuesday. It rose more than 7 feet in six hours. Major flooding begins as 12 feet and the record is 12.77 feet in 1996.
A flash flood emergency was in effect in the areas of Westernport and Barton, Maryland as well as Piedmont, West Virginia, according to the National Weather Service.
Rainfall rates have decreased, but additional rainfall is expected through the late afternoon and evening hours as well as Wednesday as a rainy pattern continues in the Mid-Atlantic.
A flash flood warning is also in effect in Grantsville, Maryland, as well as Keyser and Piedmont, West Virginia, according to the National Weather Service.
Moderate rain showers were pushing toward the north and northwest in the region, with some areas seeing three to four inches of rain.
Alley Wade was at work 30 minutes away when she heard that her sons' school, Westernport Elementary School, was flooded and rescues were underway.
She came to a road block and was told by a police officer she couldn't go any further, causing her to go into panic mode.
'It was very scary,' Wade told CNN. 'I actually had a panic attack.'
She eventually got to a location where she was able to see her oldest son William, 10, being rescued by a boat. She waved and called out to him, but it took her a while to be reunited with both her children, including her youngest son, Quinton, 8, who was also rescued.
Wade's sons said they saw water close to the ceiling of the first floor of the school while being evacuated. By the end of the day, their pants were pulled up to their knees and their shoes were sopping wet. But they were OK.
Once they were all reunited at a local church, William was upset, and 'clingy,' not that she minded, but Quinton said he had fun, reassuring her after the long ordeal.
'His quote was 'I had the time of my life, until the teacher wouldn't give us a snack out of the snack bin,'' she said.
Wade added that teachers at the school lost their cars in the floodwaters. Video she shared with CNN shows several vehicles floating in high waters in the parking lot.
Wade said she had never experienced flooding like Tuesday's before, but her husband had back in 1996.
Westernport Mayor Judy Hamilton told the Associated Press that the town has been prone to severe flooding in the past, and the last time the town suffered devastating flooding was in 1996.
But officials weren't expecting it Tuesday.
'It just seemed to happen all at once,' she told the AP. 'My heart is breaking.'
Hamilton said she's trying to get in touch with Maryland Governor Wes Moore to request emergency assistance.
Videos posted on social media showed flooded streets with vehicles floating in the knee-high water in Cumberland, Maryland.
Other videos showed intense flooding impacting Westernport and Lavale, Maryland, just outside of Cumberland. Motorists struggled to drive in poor road conditions as water reached closer to structures, and water can be heard in the videos rushing over roadways.
In Somerset County, Pennsylvania, video from CNN affiliate WJAC showed heavy rain and flooded streets.
CNN's Julianna Bragg contributed to this report.