Teens, child missing in NE flood

[TexasStooge]

BALTIMORE, Md. (AP) — Rescuers braved rapidly rising water to search for two teenagers who were missing after they went to a creek swollen by heavy rain, authorities said.

Meanwhile, a deluge of rain that caused flooding in several Northeastern states Tuesday led to the death of at least one person, and workers cleaned up at government buildings in the nation's capital. Forecasters predicted more rain for the region this week.

In Alexandria, Va., officials urged residents and businesses to prepare for high water on the Potomac River. Rescuers searched for an 8-year-old girl swept away by floodwaters in Alleghany County.

States of emergency were declared for Sussex County, Del., and the District of Columbia.

In Maryland, two youths, ages 14 and 15, who went to a creek in Keymar along the Frederick and Carroll county lines, were reported missing by their parents after they didn't return home, said 1st Sgt. Russell Newell, a spokesman for the state police.

Rescuers found a bicycle and clothing near the creek as a helicopter and search dogs scoured the area. The search was called off late Tuesday but officials planned to begin again Wednesday.

In Pennsylvania, heavy rain caused flooding throughout the eastern and central parts of the state, prompting evacuations in counties including Susquehanna, New Milford and Lanesboro.

An elderly man was killed in a single-car accident on a road near Equinunk close to the New Jersey state line that had been closed because of flooding, fire official Vernon Smith said.

“By the time we got up there, it was just too late,” he told WNEP-TV.

The National Weather Service had issued flash flood warnings for 38 of Pennsylvania's 67 counties. Forecasters predicted the Susquehanna River would crest at 17 feet above flood level in on Wednesday.

In Laurel, Md., just outside Washington, workers pumped water from the IRS headquarters' flooded basement and mopped up at other government buildings after heavy rain swamped the nation's capital.

Some residents voluntarily evacuated their homes as the local water utility opened floodgates on a reservoir dam, sending water gushing into the Patuxent River. By midday Tuesday, nearly 60 people who left homes downstream in the middle of the night had gathered at two shelters.

In New York, a major highway was closed and evacuations were ordered in parts of Delaware County.