ELLICOTT CITY, Md. — The picturesque main street of Ellicott City — quaint with brightly colored storefronts — was in shambles Monday, two days after a catastrophic storm ripped through town, shattering glass windows, swallowing cars, demolishing structures, and devouring their foundations.

All but destroyed were antiques shops, restaurants, a toy store, and a beloved bar, steps from the Patapsco River, that local officials say opened their doors to feed rescue crews who responded to a fatal train derailment, the small city’s last disaster.

This disaster, though, was different: The magnitude of the storm all but washed away the historic boulevard, leaving behind waterlogged remnants of what stood there before.

The storm claimed the lives of two visitors, Jessica Watsula and Joseph Blevins, whose cars were swept into the Patapsco River’s raging waters.

As the rain fell and the waters rose, residents rushed into harm’s way to rescue each other. One group formed a human chain to save a trapped motorist; Jonathan Butkus, 37, raced into the waist-deep water and carried a teenager out of a car on his shoulders.

On Monday construction crews crowded Main Street, using cranes to clear debris. A tree had fallen directly into one store, bisecting it.

Associated Press