a community flooded. water rushes through the streets of dundalk. >> vehicles are trapped. highways collapsed. we have complete live coverage from the scene. >> hello, everybody. i'm denise koch. >> and i'm vic carter. here's what people are talking about tonight. >> we have been following this since the flooding began. a huge water main break. a conservative estimate is already tens of thousands in damage likely to be in the end in the millions. we have, of course, complete coverage of the break. sky eye chopper 13 is over the scene. but first, we begin with weijia jiang, who is live on the ground. weijia? >> no. actually, first we're going to go straight to sky eye chopper 13. captain mike perry. >> reporter: you're looking at this major continue jawgz of a -- continuation of a water main break.

this is basically the source. if bill pulls up just a little bit, you'll see, this is -- actually used to be burning highway. a may area that traffic moves in and out of the dundalk and seger terminals. just after 4:00, this major water main broke. water began flooding out onto dundalk avenue. quickly overtaking the storm drains and out into the shopping center. it was basically water running to its lowest point. and this community affected the main roads here being dunhaven road. mcshane way and logan view drive. i was counting it up. and i estimated about 100 houses. i think it's going to be more than that affected. water on court way is about chest deep. still remains chest deep.

and this is court right as you're looking now. as that rushes down the street. as bill pans to the right here, you see police personnel. they've got a fire boat in here. i'm not sure at this point whether they're going to try to evacuate some persons with that fire boat or not. i suspect that that's there in the event that there is some personal injury and they need to evacuate personnel. but you see -- [ no audio ] >> all right. it appears that we have just momentarily lost our signal from captain mike perry, who has been over the scene for well over an hour. we'll get back to him as soon as we can. he was reporting live from sky eye chopper 13. >> and let's check what's going on on the ground. we have weijia jiang over there. we aren't able to get to her right now. but let's go to sharon gibala. this has had a tremendous impact -- actually, we're going to go to sky eye chopper 13. captain mike perry, continue

what you were saying moments ago. >> reporter: hello. yes back with you. you're looking at mcshane way. this is probably the main, or the depth of the water that has moved off of court. dunhaven road and mcshane way. out of all of the roads is the longest road and the most affected by mere depth of water. billy stop on that. that is -- these are two sedan vehicles. that one, you can see, is sitting on a little higher ground. but as bill goes up a little bit, that vehicle is nearly completely submerged. that is -- [ audio breaking up ] >> expecting to drive in their house, and into this large volume of water [ no audio ] >> okay. we're having some difficulty with that live shot there with sky eye chopper 13. we will get back with him as soon as we have reestablished the shot with a clear signal. let's go down to sally thorner. she is live at wjz.com, with more reaction. i guess a lot of people are

calling in. >> reporter: they sure are. there is a staging area for people who need or want assistance. they should go to the vfw hall at dunne talk -- dundalk and dun hill. the pictures are incredible. we would love to see your pictures from the ground. so if you are in the area and it is safe for you to do so and you have access to a computer, please send us your images at wjzwebalert@cbs.com. the situation is very dangerous, as we were telling you, and if you are able to take pictures safely or call us from your cell phone, cind your pictures to wjzwebalert@cbs.com. or give us a call at 410-578- train 13. and help -- 410-578-1313. and help us have the story. our complete coverage continues with kelly mcpherson who is on the ground. where exactly are you? >> reporter: we are near dundalk avenue. here to the left. me is the shopping center. so we are on the east side of it.

and our photographer zooms in to that river area. can you see just how fast it is still flowing from this side of the shopping plaza. we'll zoom out and show you that we have fire department, firefighters here with their life vests on, ready to go. and we will show you, we'll come a little further over this way. and you can see all of these homes are practically stranded. there are cars that are getting flooded out right now. we've seen people -- one guy just left with his motorcycle to get it out of the way. in case the water keeps going. and i'm going to ask you to go down here on the ground and show you. this amount of water here was not here with 10 minutes ago. so this is definitely threading into the neighborhood. and there are folks here. this gentleman here is talking to his wife, who is stuck in one of those homes here down the way. now, basically, what's going on here behind us, on the other side of the water, is that there are baltimore county firefighters who are all geared up in their gear to go into the water. there are boats, i'm sure you've seen from sky eye chopper 13. they're getting ready to do any

sort of rescues that may have to happen. that is what is going on here. we have another car here that is trying to get out of the way. were is just trying to move all of their possessions out of the way of this water. this is spreading pretty quickly here into the neighborhood. that's what's going on here. we will send it back to you up on tv hill. and you can see, we're definitely going to be here for quite sometime. the water main is still flooding. the main has not been turned off. >> you can see has turned into a major traffic issue. and it's a friday evening. sharon gibala is at wjz traffic control. >> this is a tough situation for those who want to get home. they really can't get into the neighborhood right now. all lanes are blocked on several roads. there are no alternates because they are all flooded, basically. let's take another live look from sky eye chopper 13 and captain mike perry, of the situation. we have actually some of the road parameters, up the closures. between the beltway and willows spring road. dundalk blocked.

loganview closed alt liberty. portly is blocked as well. we're told waist-deep water there. loganview shopping center is blocked. the broening highway belt. traffic from northbound broening highway is being detailtoured. now, as i mentioned, police are evacuating homes in the neighborhood. you do not want to drive if you do not encounter a police barricade. you do not want to drive in the water. you will be, again, detoured onto northbound broening highway, over to avon beach. and merit boulevard. a shelter is actually being set up for those people evacuated from the home. 1741, halliburton avenue. again, don't drive in the water. you can see the water is very heavy. there are torrents, actually, because of this water. even though it's just a water main break, it's obviously very large water main break. we're told a 72-inch pipe that broke. so very heavy.

rapid there. and your car could actually be swept away. flooding, obviously a major problem. and drowning could be an issue as well. and that doesn't even mention the fact that you could definitely mess up your car, if not ruin it completely. back over to you guys. >> okay, sharon gibala. thank you very much. of course, whatever else is happening in traffic pails in comparison to what is going on in dundalk now. let's go to weijia jiang. she is there on the ground, and bringing us incredible pictures of the actual break. >> reporter: absolutely. from our vantage point. you can see the water, it is still gushing pretty fiercely. since we've gotten here, it hasn't stopped at all. you can see that it's white water now. and there are several crowds around trying to look at it which is giving the crews difficulty. because they are asking people to get out of their way as they try to get control of this water. right now, they have no idea what initially caused it. will although they do believe it broke somewhere around the logan village shopping center. and after it broke, it sent knee-deep water throughout the community.

we, of course, saw those pictures earlier. and so they are focused on shutting the system off and getting underground and seeing what happens so they can either mend the pipe or at least stop this water from flowing. but right now, they have a lot of unanswered questions. as far as the ilpact goes -- impact goes, people are very concerned out here. people are concerned. still no answers for them, as far as when that could change. but right now, crews are asking patients -- people to be patient. they are trying to get this fixed as soon as possible. for now, we're live in dundalk, weijia jiang, wjz eyewitness news. >> thank you very much. look at massive flooding damage in dundalk community. we will have complete coverage of this massive water main break when we come back.

we continue to bring you complete coverage of the massive water main break.

sky eye chopper 13 has been on the scene. captain mike perry, a few moments ago, we saw the rescue boats over there. personnel ready to move out if they were needed. mike? >> yeah, vic. it looks like baltimore county is prepositioning some -- you saw the high volume of water running down the court way. they were prepositioning some boats there, should someone fall into that water. they wanted to be able to respond to that. fortunately, that has not occurred at this point. and i did get an inquiry from the desk. apparently, folks are trying to figure out how to get down into turners station. they can use sowers point road. you can come in -- i'm trialing to think merit boulevard. to sowers point road, down to main street. we'll get you in and out of turners station. and also the little community of edgewater, which is also off of sowers point road. there is significant traffic on sowers point road. not only from what we call the

looky-lous. the people coming down to look at this event. that has traffic issues. but we also have an influx. an egress of emergency personnel, which is constantly going on. they have set up their formal command post for police and fire and emergency management. over at the american legion hall. it's north of the water main break itself. there has been no significant change in the amount of water flow. it has not gotten any worse. nor has it gotten any better. so pretty much what you see down there in damage is what you're going to see until they get this water volume slowed down. the storm drains continue to do their job. the only way that i can see that this situation would get any worse is if it were to rupture yet. another water main break that ruptured nearby this. baltimore county police, baltimore county fire, public works officials, state highway people being sent down here to assist. doing their job.

folks are remaining calm. they're sheltering employees where possible. you're looking right here. stop billy and pan to that. you see folks standing in the front yard. that water is clearly 3 feet or so across the wheel wells of that car. and if you go up the street another, i don't know, 100 feet or so, the water is chest deep. so they're concerned that somebody may walk into the water and get swept away. it is potentially life- threatening. but if folks use common sense and good judgment, this water, when it starts to recede, will no longer be a major issue. back to you on tv hill. >> all right. thank you very much, captain mike perry in sky eye chopper 13. and now, let's go to weijia. and over your shoulder, that white water came pouring out of there. weijia? >> reporter: absolutely does. and there are several agencies on the site now, trying to stop that. including the baltimore county police. we have bill thuy, a spokesperson. bill, obviously the water does not seem like it's stopping. what are crews doing at this point to try to get it under

control? >> what we're trying to do to get it under control, i really don't know, that is up to the department of public works who is doing the water. however, we're asking people to stay inside their homes and not to try to come out and tangle with this water. stay in your house. if you can go to a higher floor, go to a higher floor. then, go to a higher floor and open a window and hang something out. right now, we're not evacuating, but if it comes to that, we'll know you're there. >> they have never seen anything like this before. what message do you have for them, who are here now, or who might decide to venture here just to look. >> first of all, if you're not here, don't come. the water is spreading. the problem is not easing at all. as for the people that are here, we would ask them to pay attention to the police or fire people doe they don't accidentally -- they don't accidentally hit something. if you're not here, don't come here. if you are here, pay attention to the officers and firefighters. >> okay.

thank you very much, bill thuy. also, there are a lot of crews here. a lot of different agencies. and we will have the latest. but right now, crews are still trying to determine what caused the break. they do not know that right now. and they do know it is significant. about 72 inches. they've determined that. based on the course of how fast the water is going now. message, very clear. stay home away from the scene. we'll have more for you coming up in dundalk. and of course, our coverage of this devastating situation down at dundalk will continue after this.

if you are just joining us, we have been covering a water main break that has flooded a two-mile area. we are going to go to kelly mcfirson, -- kelly mcpherson. you are near the shopping center, right? >> reporter: yoos. -- yes. we're going to go right to the expert. i'm joined with curt coker from dpw. tell us what happened here, wherare we now, as far as-- where are we now, as far as infrastructure. >> right now, we're pretty sure it's a 72-inch main. we're working on shutting it down. that's a rather large main. but why it broke, we cannot say right now. but things you have to

remember, a main cannot be shut down like you turn off a tap. you cannot just turn one thing and expect the water to magically go away. this could go on for a few hours. the second thing is, when you have a very serious situation, where a lot of neighborhoods are flooded, you basically have to stay away. and that is, if you don't belong in the neighborhood, please leave the neighborhood. if you do belong here, if your house is in the flooded area, you're not going to be able to access it. so we're asking you to work very closely with police. listen to the police. listen to the fire department. they will give you advice. they're out here working to help people who are trapped in their homes. so basically, a few hours before we get that water shut off. and do not come down to this area. because you're getting in the way of our helping citizens. >> reporter: and can you describe for us, exactly where the main broke? it's on the other side of the shopping center? and is that the only main that is broken? or is it wider spread than that? >> yes, it is over in that direction.

>> reporter: and as far as, what's your priority, number 1 right now? from your perspective. what you guys are in charge of? >> basically, i think we both share the same priority, and that is public safety. us doing our job. and the fire department doing their work that they're doing so well with assisting people. and search and rescue. and that type of matter. i mean, it all works hand in hand. >> lastly. can you give us a little contact. with a 72-inch main? how big is that in relationship to the other infrastructure in the area? this is a pretty big deal, right? >> you're talking a couple times the size of the lombard street. the one is a lot larger than the one that broke on saratoga street. this is a very large main. >> so a lot of work to go on here. and next, i'm joined with pearl price, who is the director of the medical services. tell us about the rescues. you've seen a lot of boats coming in and out. and have you had to rescue a lot of people?

>> we've had rescues already. we've deployed some boats. right now, we're just trying to evaluate the area. and see if we have any type of evacuation. what we're asking people now is if they're not injured, just shelter in place. of course, stay out of the basement fist it's flooded or -- basements if it's flooded. pay attention to the news. we'll give periodic briefings as to what we're doing. we have boats deployed in the area. we're taking a look at how the infrastructure is, how the houses look at this point in time. again, we've helped people out. mainly helping them out through the water. and mostly, at this time, it's been waist-deep. the community is really working with us here and we're trying to mitigate the situation. >> is there anywhere people should go. if they have been rescued out of their house? where should they be going right now if they need information and can't get in their home. >> we have mema on the team, and baltimore's emergency management team.

we'll be able to provide that for you soon. >> anything else they should know if they're watching this water get closer and closer to their home? >> just pay attention at this time. again, our recommendation, shelter in place. keep an eye on the news or listen to the radio for periodic updates from us. and just be safe. and again, if you don't live in the area, stay away. we understand this is a big event. people want to come down and see what's going on. but please, stay at home and watch it on tv. respect the people who live in this neighborhood, and the workers and dps personnel. we all have a job here. and it's just hindering our operations from time to time. >> reporter: thank you both very much. and we will send it back to you guys now. we, of course, will keep you inform said if we -- informed if we get any more information. we will move to the command center now and make sure we get the latest information to passon to you -- pass on to you at home. while you're there, when you get a chance, maybe ask

them this. once they shut that main water main down, i wonder how many more people are going to be affected outside that area. i know have you to run right now, because you're moving and about. and we'll check in with you a little later on. right now, let's go to sky eye chopper 13. what are you seeing right now? >> well, vic, we have a changing situation right here. i initially reported on my last report that things seemed to be -- baltimore county seemed to be getting a handle on this. and it did not appear to be get anything worse. just as i say that, things got a little worse. the water has come across. bill, come on down dundalk avenue. all the way down -- now, follow dundalk avenue across to the right here. and i'm going to show you. you will see it was partially flooded. traffic could get by on one lane. you can see state highway vehicle or county works vehicle.

you can see the white water coming. and that is water coming from the north side. and now, as bill pans right and pulls out, that is north turners station. that is moving down into the turn to the north -- turners community. and it has actually flooded roads. now, bill, i want you to pull out and slide over to the right a little bit and show this technical high school. police and fire personnel have closed sowers point road in front of that sowers point technical high school. now, this has effectively cut off turners station. no traffic has been allowed to go in and out. as bill pans, do me a favor, bill, and pan back up to that circle there and crush in. you're going to see how slow the cars are moving there. you can be getting into the community of water's edge.