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Fresh Round Of Storms Flood Downtown Baltimore

BALTIMORE (WJZ)-- Two rounds of storms hit Maryland hard, bringing down trees and flooding major sections of downtown Baltimore.

Kai Jackson has more on this heavy flooding.

Flood waters were still high in some places as this new round of rain hit. And places where the water lingered are experiencing problems.

Downtown Baltimore is deluged with torrential rain as a fast moving storm hits parts of Maryland.

Flash flooding hit the region and casualties were immediate.

"We had this massive storm come in-- lightning, thunder. It was actually really, really exciting," Samantha Hatfield of Rockville said.

But that excitement came with a price.

In Canton, the storm knocked down a tree. WJZ received another picture from the Hilton Hotel on Pratt Street that shows how water buckled the ceiling flooding the lobby.

"The faster it moves, the better I like it to get out of here. Let it drain off," Ray Cannon, the director of the Street Car Museum, said.

The draining was painfully slow in some places. This garage on Caroline Street in Fells Point flooded. Vehicles rolled through water that covered tires in some areas. On the street, countless cars were flooded and drivers were left draining out water.

Mark Craumer is still assessing the damage to his car.

Jackson: "How bad is it?"
Craumer: "Car seems to be running. I tried to start it, it's running. But it's flooded."

The effects of the flash flooding can be seen on Fallsway. Under these railroad tracks, the overspill from all the rain we're getting is cascading down like a waterfall.

"What most people don't realize is stormwater doesn't go to waste treatment plants. Stormwater gets piped directly to streams completely untreated," David Flores of the nonprofit advocacy group Blue Water Baltimore, said.

The rain would help the drought the state has been experiencing. But Blue Water Baltimore says the deluge of flood water ends up in the Chesapeake Bay.

Baltimore City police blocked several intersections because of the flooding.

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