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By Melissa Lauber
UMConnection Staff

As many people and churches in the Baltimore-Washington Conference begin the clean-up following a four-day deluge that brought up to 13 inches of rain to the region, the congregation of Garfield UMC is mourning the death of three of its own.

On June 27, Jessie R. Haulsee and Angelia Haulsee were on their way to pick up their two-year-old daughter from his parent?s home in Wolfsville. A friend, Eric Christopher Zepp, rode with them.

Unbeknownst to them, his parents and daughter had been evacuated due to flooding. According to area newspaper reports, their car stalled soon after they set out, they began walking and were picked up by a pickup truck on Route 17, which runs parallel to Middle Creek, in Wolfsville.

As they passed the Grossnickle family farm around 8:30 p.m., the Grossnickles, who were seated on the porch, saw the trio get washed out of the truck bed into the floodwaters.

The Grossnickles immediately got their tractor and rope. 'The Haulsees and Mr. Zepp were clinging to some of the brush and small trees in the middle of the torrent and screaming for help,' said Jimmy Grossnickle.

They tried throwing the rope from the tractors and even waded into the water, but couldn?t reach them.

'It was just a matter of minutes,' Grossnickle said. 'They lost their grip and were swept away. They must have drowned immediately.'

Rescue authorities found the three bodies between 11 p.m. and 2 a.m. later that night.

According to the Rev. Randy Reid, the pastor of Garfield UMC, the horrific storms caused the creek that ran through the community to rise quickly. 'Many of the old timers said they have never seen anything quite like this. Several people were trapped by floodwaters in their cars and had to be rescued.'

'Surprisingly,' Reid said, 'there was little property damage, and the folks are cleaning up the mess left behind. But I do ask the conference for their prayers for this family and our church as we go through this time of tragedy. We are already recognizing how God is at work ? but not without lots of reflection toward what it all means.'

Reid said he is grateful for the support he and the congregation received from across the conference. 'It is times like this when the connectional system shines,' he said. 'It's good to know so many people are upholding you in prayer.'

Emergency officials in Maryland and the District of Columbia say the long-term impact of the record rains are hard to predict, especially on the region?s agriculture.

According to the National Weather Service, from June 25 through June 28, the unprecedented storm dropped rain ranging from 4 inches in Bowie to 13 inches in Hyattsville. More than 10 inches fell in Columbia and in eastern Baltimore County, which by contrast, received only two inches of rain during Tropical Storm Isabel.

The rain caused water damage in several Baltimore-Washington Conference churches and parsonages, including the episcopal residence in Clarksville.

Other congregations that report being affected by the intense rainfall include Smithville UMC in Dunkirk, Christ UMC in Washington, Union Chapel UMC in Joppa, Community UMC in Laurel and Casa del Pueblo UMC in Washington.

According to Associate Council Director Sandra Ferguson, during the storms, several United Methodist churches consulted the new Disaster Response Manual, which was mailed earlier this year to every local church in the Baltimore-Washington Conference.

Ferguson encourages churches to become familiar with this important document.