Storm cleanup is quick but messy in Baltimore region

BALTIMORE (Map, News) - The Baltimore region’s weather, roads and electrical grid all had a speedy rebound Friday after Thursday’s rain and high winds.

Wind gusts that peaked at 45 mph at Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport knocked down trees. Coastal flooding soaked Anne Arundel, Baltimore and Harford counties. And heavy rain caused flash floods further inland and left piles of debris at the Inner Harbor.

“We had heavy rainfall move through, some thunderstorms, high winds and those coastal floods. ... All combined to make it a pretty nasty day,” said Brandon Peloquin, forecaster for the National Weather Service.

As many as 43,000 Baltimore Gas & Electric customers were left without power as the storm peaked around 6 p.m. Thursday, but that had been whittled down to just more than 1,600 by Friday afternoon, said BGE spokeswoman Linda Foy. The clearing weather, which began late in the evening, allowed crews to fan out quickly and work through the night, she said.

At the Inner Harbor, flooding left wet garbage, hypodermic needles and an injured deer at the amphitheater between the Harborplace pavilions and near the World Trade Center, said Moark Scheiner, a supervisor with the city’s Bureau of Solid Waste.

“We took about 190 bags out, and that didn’t count what the men shoveled directly into the [garbage truck’s] compactor,” he said.

The deer was taken to the Baltimore Zoo for treatment.

In Carroll County, flooding and debris closed roads at several points throughout the county, but all were reopened by noon Friday, said Area Roads Chief Bruce Lockard.

“We worked our entire work force until around midnight, and some others stayed out beyond that,” said Lockard, who has about 95 employees man Carroll’s road crews. “We’ve been working all day clearing trees and debris, but we’re pretty much caught up.”

“We had a ton of closures, but once the storm surge subsided, everything could be opened back up pretty quickly,” Baltimore County Bureau of Highways Chief Robert “Tim” Burgess said.

msantoni@baltimoreexaminer.com

Advertisement