KENSINGTON, Md. — When WUSA9 photojournalist set off on assignment to cover the scene of a water rescue in Aspen Hill Thursday afternoon, he didn't expect to become a participant in a water rescue himself.
"I didn’t get more than a couple blocks from home before running into flooding in my neighborhood," Hash said.
Two women had become trapped in their car on Parkwood Drive, while heading to Kensington Parkwood Elementary, where they work in the cafeteria. The car was stuck in water that had reached the doors by the time Hash arrived.
Alice Metrick, one of the women stranded in her car, said the water rolled down the street like a wave. The water level rose and the car stalled, leaving them stranded.
“It happened in seconds," Metrick said. "We were doing fine and all of a sudden it came up right up through the car. This is terrible.”
Kensington Volunteer Firefighters walked the two women to safety as the water receded.
"I've never seen anything like this before, and I've never been in more than an inch of water," Metrick said. "I don't think my car is going to be in any good shape anymore."
Metrick said she intentionally didn't take Beach Drive, which she knew would be flooded out, but never expected Parkwood Drive to be as bad as what she encountered.
She was one of dozens of people who were taken aback by the flash flooding Thursday, but far from the only person to be trapped by floodwaters.
Pete Piringer, the Chief Spokesperson for Montgomery County Fire and Rescue, reported roughly 150 calls for service Thursday afternoon, with more than two dozen of them for water rescues or vehicles in floodwaters.
“In the first half-hour we had 50 or 60 calls for service, a lot of those were weather related,” Piringer said. “Typically, we handle about 300 calls in a 24-hour period. So, you know, 50 or 60 in a half-hour period, that's just going to be a busy day.”
Piringer reported that most of the flooding was in Bethesda, Chevy Chase, Kensington, Aspen Hill and Takoma Park.
