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Body Identified in Ellicott City Flood

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ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (AP) - Police say a body found in the Patapsco River has been identified as 39-year-old Eddison Hermond, the sole person reported missing in destructive flash flooding in a historic Maryland town.

The Howard County Police issued the confirmation shortly after they announced Tuesday that searchers scouring the river had found a man's body.

Police in Howard County said they received a report at 12:30 a.m. Monday that Hermond of Severn was missing. At that point, he had not been seen since about 5:20 p.m. Sunday in Ellicott City, when flooding from a massive rainstorm ripped down Main Street.

Hermond was a veteran of the U.S. Air Force and a sergeant in the Maryland Army National Guard.

Historic Storms

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The deadly flash flood that devastated a Maryland town's historic center in July 2016 was dubbed a 1-in-1000 year event. Yet less than two years later, another treacherous flood again has ravaged Ellicott City, gutting shops and killing a visitor.

Exasperated locals are just beginning the arduous task of rebuilding from Sunday's disaster. And they're calling for authorities to energetically focus on finding a storm water solution for the historic town west of Baltimore.

Flooding is hardly new for historic Ellicott City, now a tourist hub known for restaurants and antique shops. But locals say the proliferation of new housing in hills above Ellicott City has removed critical flood protections and they want safeguards put in place quickly.

Don Rush is the News Director at Delmarva Public Media. An award-winning journalist, Don reports major local issues of the day, from sea level rise, to urban development, to the changing demographics of Delmarva.