Limited Access In Ellicott City As Rebuilding Continues
ELLICOTT CITY, Md. (WJZ)--A portion of Ellicott City that was expected to open to foot traffic on Monday remains closed as crews continue to rebuild the flood ravaged town.
Historic Main Street was set to be reopen the area between Court Avenue and Forrest, but a construction project kept people back.
It's just one example of how fluid the situation can be, as Ellicott City tries to get back on its feet.
On July 30th, a thousand-year flood raged through the historic downtown of Ellicott City, killing two people, leaving dozens trapped and destroying stores and restaurants in its path.
The progress since has been remarkable.
But for some business owners, there's a lot of work that can be done before the doors can open.
At Su Casa, new floors are in the works and inventory is on the way. Owner Nicholas Johnson feels like he's one of the lucky ones.
"In this instance, they've lost their inventory, their ability to operate, and their physical locations, I don't understand," he says.
Su Casa is in the new "open" zone of Main Street.
Staying patient while construction outside and inside is done, has been key.
"That's why we don't have a firm opening date yet, because we don't know what the access is going to be," said Johnson.
A day-to-day situation for Ellicott City as normalcy returns one block at a time.
Su Casa is hoping to be open by this weekend. Some other stores on this block, shooting to have the doors open in the next few weeks.
The state of emergency is expected to be lifted in a little over a week.
