2 Killed in Rain-Swollen Waters in Va.

Tropical Storm Lee's lingering remnants have taken a tragic turn in the D.C. area.

Two people, one of them a child, died after they were swept away in rain-swollen waters Thursday night, a Fairfax County Fire and Rescue spokesman said.

A 12-year-old died in the rapidly rising waters of the Piney Branch Creek in the 9800 block of Marcliff Court near Lawyers Road and Loch Lomond Drive in Vienna about 6 p.m., Dan Schmidt said. He was with another juvnile when he was swept away by the creek.

A man died in a car when it was overwhelmed by rushing water at  Carrwood and Beach Mill roads in the Great Falls area about 8 p.m.

Creeks and streams throughout the D.C. area have risen out of their banks in Thursday's continued rain, shutting down many roadways, including parts of the Capital Beltway in Fairfax County.

High water forced the closure of Interstate 95 at Cameron Run in both directions in Fairfax County for a while Thursday night. By 9:45 p.m., the water was down about 10 feet, and despite debris, one lane in each direction was reopened. VDOT is monitoring the situation.

Then the eastbound lanes were closed at the Mixing Bowl. Drivers attempting to get access to the Outer Loop from I-95 or I-395 are being stopped by high water. Traffic is being rerouted.

The Maryland Department of Transportation and police closed the westbound Woodrow Wilson Bridge to prevent cars on I-495 to cross to the Virginia side and risk getting stuck in high water.

It's part of a second round of Tropical Storm Lee-related storms that continues to move through the area, bringing threats of tornadoes, lightning, heavy rains and high waters -- enough to completely shut down a Prince George's County town and force emergency crews to rescue stranded motorists across the D.C. region.

Thursday evening, Fairfax County , Va., officials urged residents of the Huntington area to immediately evacuate their homes on Fenwick Drive, Arlington Terrace, Mount Vernon Drive and Liberty Drive as signicant rainfall is expected to continue. Streets in Huntington and Alexandria are expected to flood, and buildings are likely to flood, as well.

Two mobile home parks -- Holly Acres off Route 1 and Marumsco across from Marumsco Plaza -- were evacuated in Prince William County, Va., as heavy rain overwhelmed the area into the night, officials said. Residents were evacuated to a pet-friendly shelter at Woodbridge High School.

Normally, Lee's remnants would have moved out of the area, but Hurricane Katia over the Atlantic Ocean is holding Lee at bay, News4 Chief Meteorologist Doug Kammerer reported, resulting in 10-15 inches of rain in some places between these two tropical systems.

The rainfall led to some motorists abandoning their vehicles on roads across the D.C. region.  And unfortunately, the "rain train" has continued Thursday.

Cars were almost completely covered with water at the Reston, Va., Park and Ride.

Route 301 was closed in both directions in the Upper Marlboro, Md., area because of what looked like a river filled with debris running down the roadway.  The parking lot of a Ford dealership along Route 301 was completely under water. The dealership said it has sustained at least $5 million in losses.

There also were problems on Route 301 in Charles County, where there are two sinkholes on -- the first is just prior to Route 6 (near Popeye’s) and the second is just after Route 6 near the sheriff’s office.

On Largo Road at Marlboro Pike in Upper Marlboro, a vehicle was stuck in high standing water and the occupants (a man and two children) were forced onto the roof of the vehicle.

A person had to be rescued from the roof of another car in the 1900 block of Brighton Dam Road in Brookeville.

An unoccupied vehicle with flashers on came to a rest in extremely high water along Route 202 at White House Road. A police vehicle also may have become stuck in the water at that location, as well.

Two water rescues were reported along Brown Station Road in Upper Marlboro -- one at White House Road and another at John Rogers Boulevard.

Drivers should not attempt to drive through high water, as flooded roadways can look deceptive in regard to current and depth.

Flood warnings remain for much of the D.C. region. Click here for the latest weather watches and warnings.

The following Prince George's County roads were closed as of 4 p.m.:

Police District I
MD 769C between RR Tracks and MD 214

Police District II
At this time the Town of Upper Marlboro is completely shut down. The roadways are closed at the following locations:

Upper Marlboro Roads:

  • Crain Hwy and Croom Station Road
  • Crain Hwy and Marlboro Pike
  • Landover Road, just north of Marlboro Pike
  • Water Street and Pennsylvania Ave
  • Old Crain Hwy and Pennsylvania Ave
  • Pennsylvania Ave exit for Ritchie Marlboro Road
  • Old Marlboro Pike and Ritchie Marlboro Road
  • Maryland 214 EB at Maryland 202 NB Ramp
  • Woodyard Road at Rosaryville Road
  • MD 381 Mattawoman Drive to Missouri Avenue
  • Route 4 North and Southbound at bridge on Prince George's/Anne Arundel county line
  • Croom Road at Croom Station Road

Bowie Roads:

  • Largo Road at Whitehouse Road (one lane getting by in each direction)
  • Largo Road at Watkins Park Drive

Lanham Roads

  • Lanham Road at Duvall Street

Police District III
All roads in District III reported open.

Police District IV

  • Floral Park Road at Piscataway Rd, Clinton
  • Livingston Road at Taylor Ave, Ft. Washington
  • Floral Park Road between Windbrook Drive and Danville Road
  • South Springfield Road @ Accokeek Road

Police District V

  • Baden-Naylor Road between Molley Berry and Brooks Church Road, Baden in both directions; bridge has settled approximately 2 feet.
  • Bridge on McKendree and 373 and Mister Road, Baden area
  • Accokeek at Mcendry Road
  • Baden-Naylor Road at Nelson Perry Road
  • 11700 block Brandywine Road
  • 15000 block of Livingston Road (crews working in area)

Police District VI

  • US 1 South at Ritz Way (southbound lanes)
  • I-95 NB Ramp to US 50 East

Click here for road closures in Charles County.

In Annapolis, officials say the Annapolis dam has overflowed and nearby Route 450 was closed early Thursday. A number of other roads in Anne Arundel County have also been closed due to flooding.

In Charles County, all public schools have been closed and government officers opened two hours late.

In Prince George's County, the Circuit Court also has been closed.

More runoff and more storms are possible through the day -- mainly east of Washington.

A chance of rain will remain Friday, but we should dry out over the weekend, with highs in the 80s and partly cloudy skies. Rain on Saturday and Sunday can't be ruled out, Kammerer said, but most areas should be dry.


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