Child killed in flooding that left parts of mid-Atlantic, Appalachians under feet of water

Parents, teachers describe flooding rescues at Maryland elementary school

FOX News Multimedia Journalist Chelsea Torres reports from Westernport, Maryland where elementary school students and staff were rescued during a flash flood emergency on Tuesday, May 13, 2025. Local officials say this was the worst flooding event for the Western Maryland community in 30 years. 

ALBEMARLE COUNTY, Va. – The body of a 12-year-old boy was found Wednesday morning after he was swept away by floodwaters Tuesday evening, according officials in Albemarle County, Virginia. 

That comes after Flash Flood Emergencies were issued in Virginia and Maryland on Tuesday when a slow-moving but potent storm system that slammed the Southeast with torrential rain and severe weather moved over the mid-Atlantic and Appalachians. 

The agency warned of life-threatening flash flooding of low-water crossings, small creeks and streams, urban areas, highways, streets and underpasses.

WHAT FLOOD WATCHES, FLOOD WARNINGS AND FLASH FLOOD EMERGENCIES MEAN

Albemarle County Fire Rescue said multiple agencies responded around 5:30 p.m. Tuesday after a 911 caller reported the incident.

"This is a heartbreaking outcome," said ACFR Chief Dan Eggleston on Wednesday.

Flash Flood Emergencies were issued for nearby Greene and Madison counties in Virginia on Tuesday evening.

People were rescued from two cars that got stuck in rapidly rising water in Greene County, according to the local sheriff's office. Officials had to close roads due to flooding and fallen trees.

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Allegany County, Maryland, was the first flash flood emergency of the day when waters rose quickly near Westernport. 

Persistent storms dropped 2.5 to 5 inches of rain in just hours around Westernport, Luke and Barton in Allegany County, Maryland, which triggered dozens of water rescues.

PARENTS, FIRST RESPONDERS WADE THROUGH FLOODWATER TO REACH STUDENTS DURING MARYLAND EMERGENCY FLASH FLOODING

The Georges Creek overflowed its banks and rose several feet to major flood stage, cresting at 12.41 feet in just one hour, putting many buildings and roads in Westernport at risk of flooding.

WESTERNPORT, MD - MAY 13: Show is an aerial photo of the flooded downtown area on May 13, 2025 in Westernport, MD. 

(Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post / Getty Images)

"We are currently in an active evacuation mode for our areas downtown," Westernport Mayor Judy S. Hamilton told FOX Weather Tuesday afternoon. "Our emergency personnel and our town crews that work in the city are in the process of evacuating people from the lower-lying area, including the Westernport Elementary School – we have children that were still in the school as well as staff. They are evacuating them to a higher location in town as we speak."

An estimated 200 people were at the school, requiring an extensive operation to get teachers and students to higher ground.

The Georges Creek overflowed its banks and rose several feet to major flood stage cresting at 12.41 feet in just one hour.

(FOX Weather)

"We were not prepared for the amount of flooding that took place," Hamilton said. "We received a lot of heavy rain in a short period of time."

A man carries a girl on his shoulders, after flooding at Westernport Elementary School in Allegany County, Maryland on May 13, 2025. 

(Maryland State Fire Marshal / FOX Weather)

In addition to rescues at the school, there were reports of stranded residents in homes, businesses and cars, but all had been attended to as of Tuesday evening.

Allegany County Administrator Jason Bennett said the flooding quickly became a dangerous situation, prompting fast thinking from first responders.

"We're called the mountainside of Maryland because we have mountains on all sides of us. So when you have a heavy rain event like this, it catches you in the valleys and the streams that are nearby. Yesterday was one of those days where it caught us really badly," Bennett said.

A county spokesperson told FOX Weather that there were no reports of missing people connected to the sudden flooding. 

Potomac Fire Co. No. 2 Public Information Officer Jonathan Dayton estimated that about 200 homes and buildings were flooded in Allegany County. 

Flash flooding in Allegany County, Maryland on May 13, 2025.

(Barton Hose Company No. 1 / FOX Weather)

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The last time significant flooding occurred in Westernport was in 1996, when the Georges Creek flooded. 

"We lost many homes along the Georges Creek area, so I know for some of our individuals, this is bringing back a lot of horrible memories," Hamilton said.

D.C. Water officials said their crews were monitoring areas that are known to flood when heavy rain falls.

Severe storms with damaging wind gusts are possible along the mid-Atlantic and Carolina coastlines on Wednesday. NOAA's Weather Prediction Center has issued a Level 1 out of 4 flash flood risk from South Carolina to Southern Pennsylvania that will last through Wednesday into Thursday morning.

While there will be a brief reprieve from the rain, another cold front will move over both the mid-Atlantic and Northeast, bringing more precipitation to these waterlogged regions by Friday night.

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