Old Ellicott City, endearingly to locals, is a historic town 30-minutes west of Baltimore and an hour north of the nation's capital, Washington D.C. Ever since moving to the US from the Philippines, Ellicott City was my adoptive hometown so much so that after working in New Mexico close to a year and an option to work anywhere in the country, I decided to get back to Maryland. Albeit I live in the same county, Howard, in a town rated number one best place to live in the United States, Ellicott City will always have a place in my heart as the birthing ground of the American Dream. I, alongside many, were in shock that fateful July 30, 2016 when the Ellicott City flood happened.
Old Ellicott shot up to national news when a strong storm ravaged through the area and dumped more than 6 inches of water and swelled the Patapsco River at the foot of Main Street. What followed was a deluge of flood water that leveled local businesses and sadly took the lives of two people.
Fast forward four months and the historic downtown is rebuilding from the muddied floors and walls, broken doors and windows, washed off pavements, even big chunks of the road. Despite some of the establishments still unopen, the muddied floors and walls are now clean, the doors and windows replaced, the walkways and roads re-paved. Signs of "EC Strong" are plastered on walls and doors showing the resilience of the locals and the optimism of rising from the rubbles.
I was there to support the local businesses as they re-opened, but you could count a handful that was successful in that. Sipping a tall glass of beer from Judge's Bench, its location a saving grace, my feet will surely take me back to Old Ellicott as it fully recovers from that one fateful day four months ago.
Fast forward four months and the historic downtown is rebuilding from the muddied floors and walls, broken doors and windows, washed off pavements, even big chunks of the road. Despite some of the establishments still unopen, the muddied floors and walls are now clean, the doors and windows replaced, the walkways and roads re-paved. Signs of "EC Strong" are plastered on walls and doors showing the resilience of the locals and the optimism of rising from the rubbles.
I was there to support the local businesses as they re-opened, but you could count a handful that was successful in that. Sipping a tall glass of beer from Judge's Bench, its location a saving grace, my feet will surely take me back to Old Ellicott as it fully recovers from that one fateful day four months ago.
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