A week after the flooding in Ellicott City, residents, business owners and property owners returned to their home for cleaning up. From noon to 8 PM on Sunday, people removed trash and debris from their properties and helped others with the cleanup.

Van Fochios lives a few minutes from Old Ellicott City. He and his sister were part of a group who planned to help start tidying up at Portalli’s, an Italian restaurant along theMain Street.

He said, “just trying to get it back to normal,” . They planned to help primarily at Portalli’s. Later added, “If any other places need it, we’ll just be moving around and helping.”

Claudia Fochios found out the Portalli’s cleanup only after the restaurant owner posted about it on social media. She told that Main Street was one of their favorite hangout locations, and she often spends time catching up with friends at Portalli’s bar.

She recounted, “It’s your old ‘Cheers’ bar. You know, you walk in, you know everybody, you know the bartenders, you know your friends are there…It’s one of those places where it really is your home away from home.”

Matthew Milani also came out for the cleanup. He owned The Rumor Mill Fusion Bar and Restaurant. He said that Sunday was assessment day, and he planned to see what assistance would be available from the city and county, along with federal and state aid.

By Prakriti Neogi