“They’ve told us these are like once-in-a-generation or once-a-year-type floods, but three times in four weeks?” Hensley said. “I don’t think so.”
The flooding in Hensley’s business was part of a storm system that swept across the District, Maryland and Virginia on Wednesday afternoon and evening, flooding roadways and bringing miles-long delays to the evening commute, according to authorities.
In the District, D.C. Fire and EMS rescued a woman whose car was stuck in high water at about 5:06 p.m. in the 600 block of Rhode Island Avenue NE, said Vito Maggiolo, a D.C. fire department spokesman. The occupant, a woman, had climbed onto the roof of her car, where rescuers removed her. She was uninjured.
On the same block, Hensley said, there was at least a three-foot wall of water outside his facility and two to three inches of water inside. Flood bags had been put in place, but “our building’s not built like a ship,” Hensley said. “You can’t protect it from that much water.”
The dog day care location opened in May. During construction last year, Hensley said, he wasn’t given any warning of any possible flooding issues. Hensley said he has been in touch with city officials and is hoping for a solution, whether through an improved storm-drain system or some form of protection for his business.
“ I need to know that there is a way to fix this,” Hensley said. “This is a risk anytime it rains.”
At the Capitol South Metro station, located on First Street SE, workers cleared water from the platform that came from the ceiling, Sherri Ly, a Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority spokeswoman, said in an email.
“Earlier today, heavy rains and flooding in the area overwhelmed our drainage system and began entering Capitol South Station from the dome ceiling,” Ly said Wednesday evening. “We are also inspecting the drainage to make sure there are no other issues.”
The incident lasted about 15 minutes and there were no injuries or effects on train service, Ly said.
The Metropolitan Area Transportation Operations Coordination program, or MATOC, tweeted at 6:47 p.m. that there were delays of six miles due to high water on Interstates 95 and 495 northbound, past Maryland 450 in Prince George’s County. Earlier, about 6:25 p.m., a tree fell on Maryland 295 southbound at Greenbelt Road, blocking one right lane, which created delays of seven miles, according to MATOC.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, at about 6:50 p.m. flights were delayed an average of 3 hours 29 minutes at Baltimore-Washington International Marshall Airport, and delays of 4 hours 56 minutes were reported at Reagan National Airport. At Washington Dulles International Airport, delays of up to 4 hours 57 minutes were reported.
In Prince George’s County, lightning struck a two-story single-family home in the 14400 block of Saint Gregory Way in Accokeek, about 4:50 p.m., Prince George’s Fire and EMS said. Smoke was coming from the roof and flames through the attic. The residents self-evacuated, the department said.
The severe weather came less than a week after three people were killed and another person was injured in a lightning strike in Lafayette Square in D.C. after a severe thunderstorm.
A flood cleanup crew was at District Dogs on Wednesday night cleaning up, Hensley said, and had been there earlier that day. Dog day care will be closed Thursday and probably through the weekend, giving staff members a break and some time to regroup, Hensley said.
“You sort of feel lost, you don’t know what to do, because it’s out of your control,” he said. “No one controls Mother Nature.”
