Heavy rains flood Baltimore suburb, homes damaged

(Reuters) - Heavy rains caused waist-deep flooding on Saturday night in a suburb of Baltimore, damaging homes and businesses and pushing cars through the streets, an official said. The flooding in Ellicott City, Maryland, was the worst seen in the community since 2011, Denise Weist, a spokeswoman for the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services, said by phone. There were no reports of any deaths or injuries from the flooding, which also affected some areas just outside of Ellicott City, Weist said. Weather meteorologist John Collins of Baltimore television station WBAL reported that 6 inches (15 cm) of rain fell in Ellicott City within two to three hours. (Reporting by Alex Dobuzinskis in Los Angeles)