National Guard sergeant's body found in Patapsco River near Ellicott City

[IronLionZion]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/body-found-in-patapsco-river-near-ellicott-city/2018/05/29/7bd90d04-6360-11e8-a69c-b944de66d9e7_story.html?utm_term=.1ac493d01458&wpisrc=nl_buzz&wpmm=1

A man’s body found by searchers in the Patapsco River is that of Eddison “Eddie” Hermond, a National Guard sergeant who went missing after he tried to rescue a woman trapped by rapidly rising water Sunday in Ellicott City, Md.

Howard County police said Hermond’s body was found across the county line in Baltimore County. The discovery came after Ellicott City was hit over the weekend by widespread flooding.

Hermond, 39, of Severn, Md., had been at a restaurant Sunday helping to celebrate the owner’s birthday. The woman who was trapped, Kate Bowman, said Hermond stepped over a ledge and was “immediately washed away.”

“It was so fast,” Bowman recalled. “He just got washed away real quick.”

Disregard earlier false reports that he was trying to rescue a cat. Sergeant Hermond was trying to save Kate Bowman as she was holding her cat. Videos of the rapid floodwaters can show how impossible that task was.

This whole situation is frustrating as they are badly in need of better storm drainage infrastructure and wetlands/forests to absorb the flood waters instead of housing and pavement.

[samnsara]

1. a real hero

[Ilsa]

2. He died trying to save a stranger.

May the heavens offer him his sweetest reward.

[BigmanPigman]

3. That is so tragic....a real hero!

The town floods all the time. It is in a valley and when it rains a lot the water can't absorb into the ground since it rests on a granite slab. They need to divert the water with infrastructure. Two "1,000 year" floods in two years is more than a wake up call.

[Hortensis]

4. How terribly sad. I'm glad you corrected that cat thing.

Even under responsible government, though, big problems like this are not usually solved before they become real. Even when they're foreseen accurately enough to invest, the money's always needed elsewhere and it's very hard to get public support for future problems described by engineers and scientists when real ones are calling right now. Especially when they're tied up with climate change.

People are people, and that's never going to change. I am grateful that only one life was lost in this disaster. Our death counts in disasters have become very, very, very low compared to the past, amazingly low.

[Dennis Donovan]

5. A great man. Sergeant Hermond...

You exemplify what a hero is. Thank you!

[bottomofthehill]

6. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

Sergeant Hermond, you sir are a hero! Thank you for showing us that service to our fellow man can be dangerous and still you acted. You rose to the occasion and tried to help. and as my little Irish Nana would say "May the light of heaven shine on your grave."