From their cars after being trapped in high water. We will get to that in just a moment but first, we have breaking news. The mayor has declared a Civil Emergency after water was released from the dam because water levels on the river rose too quickly. Police are evacuating homes and districts in this historic neighborhood. We have a team of reporters on the way and we will bring you more as we get it. Flooding has been a problem throughout the day. The storms have moved on but crews have been busy. We kick off our store and coverage with more on this mornings rescues. Good morning washington was live as Montgomery County firefighters rescued a trash driver downtown. The rescue teams suited up in a their gear and we did out into the water to carry waded out into the water to carry the man to safety. Montgomery county fire officials had to rescue someone from the car you see behind me this morning. Much of the water has receded here, but there is still about a foot of standing water in the roadway. This woman was an feet from where it happened. He was caught in there this morning. That happens once in awhile. People do not learn about driving flooded rose. Montgomery county fire crews rescued at least 10 people this morning. Each time, they say the driver told them they did not think the water was that the. This is not a springtime storm. It is a winter storm. It is kind of a freak of nature this time of year. Crews were busy all over the area today. Officials remind drivers not to drive through standing water but if you get stuck, stay in the car and call for help. It is not just the high water causing trouble around the region. Wind and rain knocked down trees around the area, causing problems on the road. Trouble on the tracks this morning thanks to mother nature. The wind brought down this street on the train tracks. While crews work to clean up the mess, service was suspended while writers waited for a bus instead. Riders waited for a bus instead. Heavy rain and wind sent this tree tumbling down. The large trunk fell between these two cars. He woke up to find his car buried under branches and leaves. He says he is lucky the tree fell perfectly behind his bumper. I cannot believe how lucky i got. The trees also brought down power lines. While crews worked to repair the problems, roads were shut down. Residents say they were left in the dark for more than 12 hours. It happened at 9 00. What a mess. Well as we said, the worst of the weather technically has moved out and now we are back to a fairly stable pattern. The other question is about all the cold we are experiencing. Jacqui jeras is here with a look at our forecast. So many places are still in flux right now. This is google earth. There is quite a bit of Activity Still out there. We are watching goose creek where highway 15 has been shut down. That is a major flood. We also have been keeping an eye on what has been happening at seneca creek. We will click on the link right here and this will show you what the river is doing and what the stage is in the link. This is also beginning to crest. If is expected to be back below actions date by tomorrow morning. Some improvement is on the way it is expected to be back below action state by tomorrow morning. Some improvement is on the way so hang on. Temperatures are much colder than what we are seeing on the thermometer, at least they feel about 10 degrees colder because the wind is so strong. We have a wind advisory in effect until 6 00 p. M. Tonight. Wind is causing all kinds of problem at the airport especially in the northeast. Newark and laguardia both have a rival delays. More details coming up on the wind and when the waters will recede, plus asnow showers are on the way. Thank you. Remember when Severe Weather threatens, you can always stay a step ahead of the storm with the abc 7 news weather app. Good news out of baltimore for a firefighter who lost his arm in an accident. His surgeon says he is making remarkable improvement. He has great blood flow and skin color in his reattached arm and is expected to be awake and breathing on his own at any time. We will keep you updated on his situation. Reports of a 16th and 17th attack by the springfield groper. The first incident, a woman was walking south at about 3 00 p. M. , the subject approached her from behind, grabbed her groped her and took off. In the second incident, a woman was walking under the 495 overpass when someone grabbed her. The Senate Confirmation hearing of defense secretary chuck hagel is underway on capitol hill. He is getting tough questions from fellow republicans for his views on iran, israel and nuclear weapons. If confirmed, he would succeed leon panetta. Following a story from alabama where a standoff in the rural part of the state has now gone into a second full day. In an underground bunker, a retired truck driver is holding a 5yearold hostage. He shot a School Bus Driver then took the young boy off the school bus. Police say the boy is ok but the man apparently has enough provisions to last at least a month in the bunker. As the nation debates gun control, there is a continued push from the people of newtown connecticut. At a crowded town hall yesterday, parents of the victims spoke about moving the legislation through congress. Meanwhile, one School District northeast of newtown, has hired armed guards. Officials call it a temporary solution to a long term debate. Once an intruder gets into the building, to have someone qualified and trained to deal with that intruder. The School District says it has the money in its budget to cover the guards and the town has also agreed to cover some of the cost. There will be an emotional moment at the super bowl this sunday. Students from sandy hook will saying america the beautiful at the superdome on sunday. We are following a situation in laurel. Crews are working to evacuate people dealing with a massive flooding situation. We have the mayor on the phone. What is the situation at this point . Currently we are working to monitor the amount of water they have released from the dam which has caused flooding downstream. This is indeed Historic District along in the Historic District along route 1. They have a lot of water to pump out, which is going to cause us a lot of concern and issues. We are talking about water being released from the dam along the river. Why is that being done knowing that homes are going to be flooded as a result . It is 9 understanding that they have no place to put the water understanding that they have no place to put the water. Unfortunately, with all the rain we got last night and all the runoff, it is causing a lot of issues for them as well up here in laurel. We are doing some volunteer evacuations along that area. We are coordinating with the surrounding counties. We are watching from our chopper right now as this Water Rescue Team is at work. Is this something you feel prepared for . Have you had to deal with this in the past . We have had issues with flooding in the Main Street District area. But some of the maps i have seen any potential problems with water concerns me greatly. We are educating the public, letting the public know what were doing here. They can call as well and speak to someone at the Emergency Operations center and we will make sure we answer their questions. We want people to be prepared. More importantly, if someone from city staff comes knocking on their door, we want them to be prepared to evacuate. Clearly a scary situation. We can see from our chopper where the crews are out and trying to make arrangements to make sure everyone is safe. At this point, you have declared a Civil Emergency. What does that mean for the victims of this flooding once the water does receive . Recede . It allows me to bring in extra crews to spend money, and it gives me more flexibility. That is why the city council allowed this emergency state to go into place. Good luck to you and all the teams attempting rescue. We appreciate it. Still to come, a live look outside. The storms have moved out. We have been talking a lot over the last couple of days about the big event the super bowl. There are two special guests in town for it this weekend. They are two Wounded Warriors right here from our area, and they are being recognized for their sacrifice. They are being flown to new orleans for the big game. Of the thousands coming to the super bowl perhaps two of the most grateful are this navy man and army sergeant. I would like to forget some things i probably never will forget, but this is an awesome experience. He is a Wounded Warrior who twice cheated death. One explosion and a c. O. D. , all that good stuff. He is thrilled to be home and at the spectacle that is the super bowl. With help from donations, they call this a journey around the country that began last september. We wanted to include the wended heroes of our country. Wounded heroes of our country. As part of this super bowl experience for this special group of veterans, and up close and personal look at each super bowl ring through the years as well as the Vince Lombardi trophy. Greggs life is short. We know that. Life is short. And we know that. Wonderful message. Great to see them. Without a doubt. We want to get over to jacqui jeras now because we are dealing with a lot of issues still as a result of these storms last night. And will continue to deal with them for probably the next 24 hours or so. Lets show you what is happening out there. If you look out the window, it looks by a beautiful day. There is sunshine. The temperature is 48 degrees. If you look at the potomac, a look at how muddy the water is. That is all about runoff. The wind is very swift and we have a winded by azeri in effect until 6 00 today. Winds will wind advisory in effect until 6 00 today. Winds could be gusting from 40 50 miles per hour. It feels like 34 at dulles airport. Haggar is town feels like 27. Hagerstown feels like 27 degrees. We have some lake effect snow showers here. Another disturbance on the way is going to bring more snow tonight. The water will be an issue. Culpeper had four inches. Record rainfall yesterday at dulles airport. Two inches in Montgomery County and gaithersburg. Do not drive over the water or through the water. You cannot see the bottom of it. You do not know if the road has been compromised or how deep it is. A lot of rivers will be cresting in the next couple of hours or this evening. They should be reseeding tomorrow so improvements are on the way. Overnight tonight and early tomorrow morning is our best chance for snowfall. We could get up to half an inch. For the most part, it will be less than an inch of snow, but it will affect your commute tomorrow morning. Here is your forecast for today. Partly cloudy skies, gusty winds and steadily falling temperatures into the 40s. It will be much colder tomorrow with highs only in the 30s, and we have another chance of snow showers saturday night into sunday morning before we start to warm up and moderate a little bit on sunday. Make sure you watch good morning washington for your commute information. Very busy 24 hours. Victims of super storm sandy are outraged this afternoon because of abnormally high utility bills. They have been running space heaters and electricitybased baseboards which have caused their bills to spike to over 800. One family says the Power Company did not shut off electricity after the storm and if it had come in their home would still be standing. Coming up, an Afterschool Program creator is facing a suspension. We will explain. Also, coming up later coming up tonight at 5 00 a lot of us have a few extra pounds. Admit it. What about your pet . How some people are helping at ikea, we dont just design furniture. We design good mornings. Little experiments. Big ideas. Brighter ways. And better tomorrows you can take home today. Imagine if everyday was just a little bit better for everyone. A boy in massachusetts could be suspended from school for what he built with his legos. He made a toy gun during an afternoon Afterschool Program. The teacher said he could make other children uncomfortable. The family believes School Officials are overreacting and they have hired a lawyer. Still ahead, a final look at the weather. Welcome back. Another live picture right now over laurel, maryland. 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