Rescuers used boats to help evacuate two elementary schools in northwestern Maryland Tuesday as that state and others were flooded by heavy rains, officials said.
Georges Creek Elementary School and Westernport Elementary in Allegany County were evacuated, and students at a middle school were told to shelter in place, the Allegany County Department of Emergency Services said.
Shelters were also opened at community centers.
Flood warnings or watches covered more than 17 million people Tuesday night from southern Pennsylvania to parts of West Virginia and western Maryland and into Virginia and North Carolina, according to the National Weather Service.
“Many streams and rivers west of I-95 are either already in or forecast to go into flood stage this evening/tonight,” the weather service office for Maryland said. “Remember, turn around, don’t drown. Nighttime flooding is especially dangerous.”
Allegany County got more than 5 inches of rain Tuesday, the weather service for the region, which is located in Sterling, Virginia, said in a statement. Prince William County, Virginia, got 4 inches of rain.
In West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey said he ordered the state emergency operations center to open due to flash flooding.
A flood watch for Allegany County and other areas was in effect until 6 a.m. Wednesday, and more thunderstorms were possible Tuesday night, the weather service said.
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