Virginia boy swept away as heavy rains and flooding hit several states
[May 15, 2025]
By GENE PUSKAR and SARAH BRUMFIELD
WESTERNPORT, Md. (AP) — Officials found the body of a 12-year-old boy
who was swept away by rushing water on a Virginia roadway during a storm
system that also forced a dozen students to stay overnight at a Maryland
high school due to heavy rains that led to flooding in several states.
A 911 caller reported Tuesday night that the boy was walking outside
when he was swept away by water that overtook the roadway from a nearby
creek, Albemarle County Fire Rescue said in a social media post.
What is believed to be the body of Jordan Sims was found by crews
searching for him about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday, the county agency stated.
He will be taken a medical examiner’s office in Richmond for positive
identification.
“This is a heartbreaking outcome, and our hearts are with the Sims’
family and loved ones,” Albemarle County Fire Rescue Chief Dan Eggleston
said in a statement. “We are incredibly grateful to our local and
regional partners who supported this search effort with urgency,
professionalism, and care.”
In far western Maryland’s Allegany County, officials said about 150
students and 50 adults were evacuated Tuesday afternoon from Westernport
Elementary School as floodwaters breached the second floor. Crews used
rescue boats to transport the children to higher ground.
The small rural community of Westernport saw its downtown completely
inundated for the first time in decades. Rapidly rising waters caught
residents by surprise when a rainy day suddenly turned into an emergency
situation.
“We went from just kind of puddles on the street to the whole town
underwater in at most an hour,” said Chris Lafferty, deputy chief of
Tri-Towns EMS in Westernport. “It turned basically all of downtown into
a river.”
With a population under 2,000 people, Westernport is located in the far
corner of western Maryland. Its modest downtown took shape in a valley
where Georges Creek flows into the North Branch Potomac River.
People were also forced to relocate at two other county schools on
Tuesday. Allegany County Public Schools said 12 students stayed
overnight at Mountain Ridge High School before being picked up Wednesday
morning. County schools were closed Wednesday.
Emergency officials said no one had been reported missing or injured,
but residents were urged to stay home anyway because several secondary
roads had been washed out.
The Potomac River remained within its banks, with only minor flooding
reported and conditions generally improving, officials said. Crews were
assessing damage after water receded in the Georges Creek area.
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From left, Ashley Rishel from the Allegany County 911 and Lesley
Moran help clean up Main Street after flooding on Wednesday, May 14,
2025 in Westernport, Md. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)
By Wednesday afternoon, the sun was shining and many residents had
already spent hours scraping, shoveling and hauling massive
quantities of mud. Crews used heavy equipment to clear mud from the
streets and carted it away by dump truck.
They started cleaning out the town’s library and a fire station,
where receding floodwaters left behind a thick layer of sludge. From
backhoes to mops, people grabbed whatever they could find and
pitched in.
“Everybody’s coming together just trying to clean up,” Lafferty
said.
Much of Allegany County received about 3 to 5 inches (8 to 13
centimeters) of rain Tuesday. Rainfall records were broken in some
spots of the region, said Anna Stuck, a meteorologist with the
National Weather Service. Baltimore/Washington International Airport
broke a rainfall record for the day, as did the city of Martinsburg,
West Virginia.
More rain was on the way Wednesday, and while not as much was
expected as on Tuesday, people should tune in for warnings, watches
and advisories, Stuck said.
“Because of the rain yesterday, it won’t take much,” she said. “It
will take less precipitation for it to flood because the ground is
so saturated.”
Maryland’s Department of Emergency Management activated its
emergency operations center to coordinate the state’s response.
Roads in both Allegany and Garrett counties were closed because of
flooding, according to state officials. Allegany County officials
reported that floodwaters have caused washouts and gas line leaks.
“We remain in close contact with local officials and continue to
coordinate resources as the rain continues to fall,” Gov. Wes Moore
said in a press release. “I urge all Marylanders to remain vigilant,
heed warnings from local officials, and prioritize safety during
this time.”
In West Virginia, Gov. Patrick Morrisey declared a state of
emergency Tuesday night in Mineral County, near Maryland, because of
heavy rains and flash flooding, allowing the state to send
resources.
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Associated Press reporters Ben Finley in Norfolk, Virginia, and Lea
Skene in Baltimore contributed.
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