Search Underway for Missing National Guardsman After '1,000-Year' Flash Flood Tears Through Ellicott City, Maryland

Police on Monday afternoon were still searching for an Army National Guard member who was reported missing in the midst of flash flooding that tore through Ellicott City, Maryland, on Sunday, and swept away parked cars and trapping some residents on the upper floors of buildings.

Officials said in a press conference Monday afternoon that they had conducted over 300 rescues in Ellicott City and are still trying to locate the National Guardsman who went missing in the floods, Eddison Alexander Hermond.

Here’s what to know about the Ellicott City flooding and recovery efforts:

Who is missing in the Ellicott City floods?

Eddison Alexander Hermond, a 39-year-old active member of the Army National Guard, has been missing since about 5:20 p.m. Sunday, police said, asking anybody with information to call 911. Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman said Monday that finding Hermond was a priority.

“We’re certainly making every effort to locate that individual,” he said.

Hermond’s friend Joseph Lopez told ABC News that they had been dining at a restaurant in Ellicott City on Sunday when they noticed the parking lot begin to flood. “It happened so fast,” Lopez said. “The main street became a river in less than 20 minutes.”

He said Hermond was helping a woman who wanted to leave the Ellicott City restaurant, when he lost his balance and was swept away by the current. “Eddison is a great swimmer so I’m hopeful that he will be OK,” Lopez told ABC News.

How bad is the flooding in Ellicott City?

Officials said the damage in Ellicott City appeared to be worse than damage in July 2016, when another flash flood devastated the Ellicott City community. Ellicott City, located about 12 miles west of Baltimore, is prone to flooding with the area’s Patapsco River running through the town.

Ellicott City received nearly 8 inches of rain over a six-hour period on Sunday, most of which fell during an intense three-hour window, creating a “true flash flood,” meteorologist Mike Muccilli told the Associated Press.

“They say this is a once every 1,000-year flood and we’ve had two of them in two years,” Gov. Larry Hogan said at a press conference Sunday night.

“My heart is broken, thinking about what the people are going through here — and the people’s lives who were devastated two years ago, and they rebuilt and now they’re faced with the same daunting task again,” Kittleman said at the press conference. “We will be there for them, as we were in 2016. But I have no words to say to you and to them right now. I’m devastated. I’m heartbroken, and I know they are as well.”

Law enforcement officials said they were still working to secure the Ellicott City area on Monday morning before allowing residents and business owners to return to their property, reclaim belongings and assess the damage. As of Monday afternoon, the National Weather Service had extended a flood warning in northwestern Anne Arundel County and southeastern Howard County Maryland until 5 p.m. Monday.

“We need to ensure the area is safe,” Howard County said in a tweet.