After any bad rainstorm, the thoughts of many Marylanders turn to Ellicott City and its Main Street businesses. Because floodwaters ravaged the historic town twice in two years, Howard County executive Allan Kittleman and county councilman Jon Weinstein introduced legislation to tear down 10 properties on the most vulnerable lower half of the street.

“I wish we weren’t here,” Kittleman said as he announced a $50 million five-year flood migration plan on Thursday. “But this is a change we need.”

The demolition of the properties—which account for about 5 percent of buildings in the historic district—will expand the flood plain and the idea is to replace the buildings with green space and a larger channel for tributaries.

Executives from Preservation Maryland released a statement noting that this kind of demolition could result in Ellicott City being removed from the National Register of Historic Places, and therefore could lose a lot of incentives that help historic communities rebound and rebuild.

And while many Ellicott City residents desire more time to provide feedback and commentary on the proposed plan, the business owners most directly affected have been heavily involved in the conversation.

“We knew this announcement was coming. They didn’t ambush us,” said Mark Hammis, owner of neighborhood bar The Phoenix Emporium, one of the spaces slated for demolition. “I have a meeting coming up about what to do next. We’re still in the negotiating phase. But we’ll move somewhere, we have to. I’ve got kids I need to send to college.”

Another Main Street establishment affected by the flood migration plan will be furniture store Shoemaker Country, whose owners say they will continue to work no matter the store’s location.

“Keep an eye for our coming new location and reach out to us for the custom pieces of furniture that we are known for,” owner John Shoemaker said. “We are still producing pieces despite losing our retail shop in the flood.”

The future of other businesses seems a bit more uncertain, like Italian restaurant Portalli’s, which was extremely hard hit in both of the devastating floods of the last two years.

“Today is an extremely sad day for us at Portalli’s,” owner Evan Brown wrote on Facebook. “[We] would like to thank everyone who played a part in making Portalli’s a pillar in the community on lower Main Street for the past 10 years . . . When we started this business, we wanted to offer the community a unique place to spend time while enjoying good food. We can only hope we’ve been successful in achieving our goal and were able to provide that for you, our guests. Words cannot describe how appreciative we are for the support we’ve received from you, time and time again, after every tragic event we’ve faced.”

Other businesses, like retail shop Sweet Elizabeth Jane, are counting their blessings that they were able to move towards the top of the hill in between floods and their building can be spared from the latest demolition plan. Though, owners acknowledge, the town doesn’t feel quite the same.

“We are all affected,” Sweet Elizabeth Jane owner Tammy Beideman said. “The foot traffic from other businesses not being here is going to be a problem. There’s still not a lot open. You really need the whole town to make things good. We just have to take it one day at a time and do the best that we can.”

Unlike the first flood when many businesses were driven to open, things are a lot different after this most recent flood on Main Street. Some businesses will not be returning this time around, and few other retail shops, like Culture Lab and HorseSpirit Arts Gallery, are relocating.

“There is no right or wrong answer,” Beideman said. “You just have to evaluate your risks, your investment, and your comfort level with the whole thing. The push shouldn’t be to reopen by all means. The push should be to do what is right for your business. What it looks like for every business is different.”

For both Beideman and Hammis of The Phoenix, in particular, the idea of keeping their businesses local has been the top priority.

“Howard County will always be the optimal location for me,” Hammis said. “But we’re going to move somewhere, of course we are. Keeping this place open is all I know how to do.”

1. Three Potato Four pennant ($24) at Trohv. 2. Cocktail stirrers ($42 set) at Trohv. 3. Flamingo plate ($7) at Su Casa. 4. Crab bracelet ($22) at Route One Apparel. 5. Itineris Maryland board ($30) at Mud and Metal. 6. Black-eyed Susan sleep mask ($12.95) at Route One Apparel. 7. “Someone in Hampden Loves You” tote ($22) at Mud and Metal. 8. Lotus coordinates necklace ($48) at Poppy and Stella. 9. Rat mug ($12) at Trohv. 10. “Ravens & Bohs & Crabs & O’s” shirt ($23.99) at Route One Apparel. 11. Crab iron hook ($6) at Sweet Elizabeth Jane. 12. Write Notepads & Co. “Lenore” notebook ($12) at Trohv. 13. Patterson Park pagoda letterpress card ($5) at tinydogpress.com.

The man at the end of the human chain who slips and is nearly swept away himself is Jason Barnes, the owner of All Time Toys, another Main Street business that was caught in the flood.

According to WBAL, Barnes, who had just purchased the toy and collectibles store two months ago after working there for 10 years, was working when the water virtually erupted through his basement door.

“He went ahead and started to exit the basement as his door imploded in and all that water came rushing in,” Barnes’ stepfather Chris Penning told WBAL. “As he went upstairs, he knew virtually all of his inventory was gone and everything he dreamed of for the last 10 years was quite possibly lost in all this.”

Barnes, who had once dreamed of writing stories about superheroes, then saved 29-year-old Jamie Knight from the floodwaters.

Interviewed the next day, Knight told a reporter how grateful she was for the heroics of Barnes and fellow rescuers.

“Thanks a lot, man,” she said. “I really owe you. I wish I could repay you somehow.”

A list of Ellicott City businesses damaged by the flood reads like a Chamber of Commerce roll call, including restaurants such as Portalli’s Italian Restaurant, The Rumor Mill Fusion Bar & Restaurant, and Bean Hollow coffee shop; boutiques such as Sweet Elizabeth Jane and Craig Coyne Jewelers; and businesses such as Insight180, a branding agency, and Shoemaker Country, a family-owned furniture-making business.

The extent to which each business is affected will likely vary depending on its position along the steeply sloping Main Street and whether or not the business owner had flood insurance. Some on higher ground are hoping for the best, but most business owners have not yet been able to survey the damage as officials barred access to Main Street while emergency crew worked Sunday and Monday to clear the approximately 180 vehicles and other debris left behind after the waters receded. Determining a monetary value for property lost in the disaster could take months.

On Sunday, Gov. Larry Hogan and Rep. Elijah Cummings toured the downtown with Howard County Executive Allan Kittleman. Kittleman’s spokesman Andrew Barth told Baltimore that “like most people,” the governor “was shocked by the severity of the damage. There are just big, empty holes there.”

Retiring U.S. Sen. Barbara Mikulski also visited Monday morning, saying, “I have never seen devastation like this.”

Speaking at a press conference after her tour of the destruction, Mikulski said that officials “are working as Team Maryland from every level of government” to aid in the recovery process. Indeed, the county and state have already declared the site a disaster area, and U.S. Sen. Ben Cardin attended a community meeting about the flooding Monday evening.

The storm has already become politicized, with one Maryland lawmaker suggesting the severe storm may be a result of climate change and others pointing out the inadequacy of storm management systems in towns and cities all over the country.

At the Monday evening community meeting, County Executive Kittleman told the overflow crowd that he believed the disaster could not have been prevented, but acknowledged that he has tasked the Howard County planning department with drafting a master plan to address flood-prone areas.

“It is an opportunity to make some changes,” he said. “Make no mistake, we will rebuild.”

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Baltimore City Businesses Hit, Too

Though Ellicott City was hit the hardest, North Baltimore also saw devastating effects after the Jones Falls jumped its banks and flooded Woodberry’s Meadow Mill complex with more than 13 feet of water, leaving cars in the parking lot stacked on top of each other.

The converted industrial property—which houses local businesses such as La Cuchara and Nepenthe Homebrew, as well as production facilities for Stone Mill Bakery and Mouth Party Caramel—has seen similar devastation occur during major floods throughout the years, the most recent being in April 2014.

Anticipating significant damage, Stone Mill Bakery owners Alfie and Dana Himmelrich instructed their staff to evacuate before the storm hit. Fortunately, the crew was able to move its delivery vehicles and necessary equipment to higher ground and, after an intense day of cleanup, the bakery is back up and running.

“We had been through it before, so we knew what to do,” Dana says. “Especially for businesses like us where we bake everything fresh daily, being down for any length of time is damaging, so the sooner you can get back up, the better.”

Neighboring business Nepenthe Homebrew, a shop that sells specialty beer-making tools and ingredients, wasn’t as lucky. After locking up at 6 p.m. Saturday, husband and wife owners Brian Arnold and Jill Antos returned to their store Sunday morning to find it completely wiped out. The flooded space was riddled with ruined merchandise and shelves that had toppled over—a sight which they had seen before in the aftermath of the 2014 flood.

“Our first thought was ‘Not again,’” Arnold says. “This time, it happened really suddenly.”

Nepenthe saw $100,000 worth of damage two years ago, and though an exact estimate has yet to be made, its owners anticipate that the destruction is worse this time. Though this has happened once before, Arnold explains that complex commercial leases are tough to negotiate, so moving wasn’t an option.

“Our shelving somehow managed to stay upright the first time, so we were able to salvage some of the merchandise from the top shelves,” Arnold says. “But we’ve been expanding inventory over the past two years, so now there’s more that we’ve lost.”

Arnold says that, though the destruction is severe, the outpouring of support from the community has been overwhelming. A GoFundMe page supporting cleanup efforts has raised more than $8,000 in one day. Neighboring Hampden restaurant Le Garage has also pledged its support, launching its own initiative to raise funds. Throughout August 7, Le Garage will donate a portion of all Restaurant Week prix fixe and beer flight sales to Nepenthe’s fundraising campaign.

“The debt of gratitude that we owe people who have helped, donated, and even just sent well wishes, is bottomless,” he says. “Last time, I remember standing on the banks of the river just watching the water and sobbing because we had no idea what to do. This time, I went straight home, posted on social media, filed a flood claim, put together a to-do list, and got to work. We didn’t have that emotional reaction until we started getting messages from people.”

Adds Dana Himmelrich: “In times like this you see how people come together to help however they can, and that was really evident yesterday. If there is a bright side to be had, it’s that.”

See a full list of fundraising events and opportunities to help rebuild the flooded areas.

South of the Boarder: I think my roommate and I have agreed that we’re kind of going for a Southwest-rustic-chic vibe. There wasn’t much we could do about the all the beige paint since we’re renting and we have this super tall vaulted ceiling, so we just went with it and wanted to incorporate bold colors and interesting wood textures to offset that.

Simple Living: I wish I could say we got our furniture from some super trendy local furniture store, but we aren’t quite in that tax bracket. I’m pretty sure my couches are the cheapest ones from Value City, and our coffee table and TV cabinet are from Wayfair.com—who I would 100-percent recommend for their customer service alone!

Favorite Find: My favorite piece is definitely the TV stand. We waited about a month and a half for it to come and it was completely worth the wait. The color is insanely beautiful. Honorable mention goes to the gilded deer bust.

Shared Space: A lot of the art came from my roommate Elisabeth. She got the masks from Costa Rica, the Orthodox Christian art from her church, and has some of her own original, gorgeous paintings hanging. Some little decor pieces I’ve gotten from World Market, Sweet Elizabeth Jane in Ellicott City, and antique stores.

Head Games: We have a few skulls: The deer is most prominent, but we also have a goat. Elisabeth’s brother’s girlfriend is a hunter and was generous enough to donate some of the skulls she’s . . . acquired. We like to put a Rudolph nose on the deer skull around Christmas time. Really gets us in the spirit.

Instagram Inspiration: Plants give the space such a natural feel and the ledge in front of the fireplace is a perfect place to showcase them. I recently discovered Justina Blakeney’s Instagram and her aesthetic is a dream come true, and going to be a huge inspiration in how our room evolves. I want to live in her world.

Relaxation Station: I love hosting in this room. I frequently go overboard when I have people over and cook six days worth of food for, like, three people, but it’s super fun for me to cook for my friends and have everyone relax in our space. My roommate reads and writes a lot, and we all like to cuddle with Gretchen, Elisabeth’s super cute border collie, in here.

For cooking tips and recipes, visit Parker’s website The Anti Al Dente.

The holidays are stressful. Between cooking, cleaning, and shopping, finding the time to pick out the perfect party look can be tricky. Whether you’re attending a family brunch or a fancy office fete, we’ve got you covered with an outfit for each occasion.

Friend Function

Metallic sweater with black trim ($22) at Hunting Ground.

Blank NYC dark denim jeans ($88) at South Moon Under.

Black lucite dangle earrings ($13) at Go-Go’s Retread Threads.

Chinese Laundry black pumps ($79.95) at South Moon Under.

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Dinner Date

Ark & Co. romper ($64) at Brightside Boutique.

Gold and silver dolphin brooch ($42) at Go-Go’s Retread Threads.

Circus by Sam Edelman bond black leather boots ($98) at Poppy and Stella.

Family Feast

Everly wine dress ($38) at Sweet Elizabeth Jane.

Beaded collar ($28) at Go-Go’s Retread Threads.

Gold lamé clutch ($22) at Bottle of Bread.

Restricted New Day booties in olive ($75) at Poppy and Stella.

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Festive Formal

Laser panel dress ($88) at Hunting Ground.

Sybil metallic clutch ($38) at Poppy and Stella.

Chinese Laundry burgundy pumps ($79.95) at South Moon Under.