A government-enabled disaster in Howard Co.

Howard County and the state of Maryland need to accept responsibility for Ellicott City. Ever since Howard County became a bedroom community for Washington, D.C., development has gone unchecked. Lands that are subpar are approved. Very rarely are construction projects turned down, all for that sweet, sweet high-income tax money. Any associate-level environmental scientist or engineer can tell you that developing the hills around city that sits in a valley is a really bad idea (“Ellicott City business owners, residents prepare to visit MainStreet properties, assess damage,” May 29).

The Baltimore County side of Ellicott City is equally as guilty. Soil absorbs and slows water runoff. Pavement does not. The faster water moves, the more destructive it is. While global warming may be responsible for these freak hurricane-level anomalies, the development has funneled it right into people’s yards. The state and county could allot more for flooding infrastructure, but the amount of infrastructure needed would damage the Patapsco and ruin any headway that has been madeonreturning biodiversity.

Just in the past 30 years, Ellicott City has been through train derailments, five-alarm fires and major floods. Maybe we should take a hint from the universe and turn it into Harper’s Ferry. Anice historic location with a few period piece stores.