The announcement was made Thursday while the governor was surveying the damage from Tuesday's statewide storm activity.

Amid an emergency no one saw coming, volunteers from nearby counties showed up with swiftboats to bring the children and their teachers to safety.

Family members waded through waste-deep water to reach their children in Western Maryland on Tuesday after torrential rain quickly inundated three schools in Allegany County, prompting emergency rescues.

Meteorologist Alena Lee looks over some of the flood warnings that are set to expire on Thursday across Western Maryland.

Rescue boats were used to evacuate an elementary school in Allegany County, Maryland Tuesday as heavy rains brought flooding to the region, the county’s emergency services department said.

CSX was able to repair flood damage to former Baltimore & Ohio main lines in the Cumberland, Md., area overnight, allowing freight and Amtrak service to resume. The CSX routes sustained damage during heavy rainstorms on Tuesday [see “Flooding knocks out key CSX routes

Students and staff at Westernport Elementary School in Maryland evacuated the school on rescue boats as flood water reached the ceiling of the first floor.

The Potomac River has crested well above flood stage in several locations after all the rainfall since Tuesday, turning the situation dangerous.