After the Deluge, Death and Debris

On Maryland's Eastern Shore, damage was estimated at $60 million in Dorchester County alone, said its sheriff, James Phillips Jr. Twenty-five washed-out roads in the county remained closed yesterday, and 33 others were damaged. In nearby Caroline County, Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele toured damage in Federalsburg.

Alexandria officials were still guarding against the chance of problems in Old Town, where the highest waters of the rain-swollen Potomac are expected to make their way past tonight between 8 p.m. and 2 a.m., with high tide just after midnight. Forecasters yesterday played down the risk of Potomac flooding, saying the crest moving down the river was somewhat lower than feared. Not taking any chances, some Old Town businesses had sandbags in place.

The National Weather Service said it expected that the river might barely reach the top of its banks at the foot of Wisconsin Avenue NW in Georgetown a few minutes before midnight tonight.

Moderate flooding was anticipated on the Susquehanna River below the Conowingo Dam in Harford and Cecil counties, the Weather Service said.

The rains took their steepest toll in Frederick County, which was one of the few parts of the region to get continued heavy rainfall late Tuesday.

Three people were swept to their deaths Tuesday night east of Myersville, between Frederick city and Hagerstown. Jesse R. Haulsee, 24, his wife, Angelia S. Haulsee, 29, and a friend, Eric C. Zepp, 19, abandoned their car near the town of Ellerton and tried to wade through waist-high water to his mother's house about a half-mile away along Route 17, where the Haulsees' 2-year-old daughter had been staying, according to witnesses and the Frederick County sheriff's office.

The two-lane highway had become a small river when Middle Creek, a tributary of Catoctin Creek that runs parallel to the road, flooded around 8:30 p.m.

The driver of a pickup gave the Haulsees and Zepp a lift and continued south on Route 17. Soon, though, the Haulsees and Zepp left the pickup's bed. Authorities said it was not clear whether they were swept out or tried to swim.

Also in Frederick County, rescue crews searched for two high school students who were missing after exploring a rain-swollen creek Tuesday evening at the Carroll County line. Late yesterday, authorities declared it a recovery effort, indicating that the two boys from the small town of Ladiesburg were presumed dead.

The boys, Michael White, 14, and Thomas Plunkard, 16, were last seen at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, when they left their homes to explore Little Pipe Creek in Keymar. Authorities said they believe the boys went swimming and were washed away.

When the boys failed to return home, Michael's father went looking for them at the creek and found his son's bicycle and both boys' clothing, except their underwear, at the bank of the creek near Route 194.

He then called 911, and rescue crews searched for the boys during the storm until it became too treacherous. They resumed early yesterday with a helicopter and 80 searchers accompanied by dogs. The currents in the creek were so strong at midday yesterday that one of the rescue boats capsized, injuring a man.