Georgetown Waterfront Flooded; Buildings Evacuated

After heavy rains Monday morning, the Potomac flooded the Washington Harbour shopping area's patio, several restaurants and residences on the Georgetown waterfront.

Pete Piringer, chief spokesman for D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services, said that they received a call at around 7 a.m. with reports of flooding at Washington Harbour. Water filled the walkway and spilled down into the lower-level businesses, covering the fountain in the center of the plaza.

"All of the terrace-level areas were affected. Those are mixed use — commercial, office and residence," he said.

Piringer said that Tony and Joe's Seafood Place and Nick's Riverside Grille were flooded. Farmers and Fishers also posted an announcement on its website that it would be closed due to the flood.

The flood wall that is supposed to hold the river back at high tides was not in place according to Piringer, but the property management has now put it up.

Piringer said that all people in the area were accounted for and that the building was evacuated as a precautionary measure. However, 50 to 60 vehicles were towed from the downstairs parking garage where many cars were submerged under water.

"We've been dealing with this for several hours now, and we are about to return the property to the owner," he said.

MRP Real Estate Services, Inc., the property manager for Washington Harbour, released a statement saying that it was working to limit the damage.

"We have taken precautions to protect the residents, tenants and visitors to Washington Harbour, including evacuating the commercial tenants and are working expeditiously to mitigate further damage," the statement read.

The full extent of the damage is unclear at this time, and the area is still under a flood watch.

"We wish them the best that they get the place back and restore [it] as soon as possible," said Jim Bracco, the executive director of the Georgetown Business Improvement District. "It's a real tragedy for the restaurants that are down there right now for sure."

— Hoya Staff Writers Sarah Kaplan and Anne Skomba contributed to this report.