by Geoff Fox
As residents and emergency crews dealt with a number of flooding and swift water rescues on the other side of the Potomac last weekend, Hancock Volunteer Fire Company responded to only one flooded basement in the Hancock area on June 3.
Hancock Fire Chief Robert Hoopengardner said the call was for a basement on Pearre Road west of Hancock. The home had approximately two feet of water in it.
The house sits at the bottom of a hollow, and with the ground already saturated from previous rains, when the hard rain came last weekend, it all came down the hollow and into the basement, Hoopengardner said.
When fire crews arrived, there was about eight to 10 inches of water rushing down the hollow pushing against the back of the garage.
Hoopengardner said some of the water went in the basement while the remaining water continued down the driveway and onto Pearre Road.
“The water had so much force that it washed out some of the culvert going under the road and lifted up the blacktop on the road for about 30 feet,” Hoopengardner said. “County roads were notified of the road condition.”
Hancock Rescue Squad brought the rescue squad with a submersible pump to assist firefighters. Crews had two such pumps trying to keep up with the water going into the basement.
Hancock Volunteer Fire Company responded to a residence on Pearre Road on Sunday, June 3, with a flooded basement. Photo courtesy of Robert Hoopengardner.
“Eventually, we dug ditches to divert the water away from the house,” the fire chief said.
Both fire and rescue crews were on scene for four hours trying to divert the water away from the house and pump water out of the basement.
Hoopengardner said when the crews left, water was still coming down the hollow with some still going in the basement.
Hoopengardner said the residence didn’t have power when the initial flooding began, however when crews left power had been restored.
The homeowner, he said, had two pumps that were being used to remove the remaining water in the basement.
No injuries were reported during the flooding.
