USGS On the Road - Flooding in Westernport, MD

Westernport, Maryland was one of the hardest hit towns during the mid-May flooding in Western Maryland, where Georges Creek flooded an elementary school in Westernport, MD, prompting the emergency rescue of schoolchildren.

During and following the flooding, the U.S. Geological Survey was on the scene in Western Maryland to assess local streams and rivers, because quantifying floods is vital for planning infrastructure that can withstand such extremes in the future.

Days later, evidence of the damage caused by the flood were visible throughout Westernport and across towns in the area, including at the Georges Creek streamgage, where flooding caused the ground to collapse beneath an unused train line, leaving rails that were twisted mid-air and dangling for several dozen yards, yet somehow still connected on the other side.