Laura Greenback, The Examiner
2007-02-16 08:00:00.0
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Anne Arundel County -

Anne Arundel County, which got less snow but more ice than most other areas in the state, is still struggling to recover from Wednesday’s disruptive storm.

Only about an inch of snow fell in the county, compared with as much as 5 inches in Carroll County, according to the National Weather Service’s Web site. But nearly a half-inch of ice coated Anne Arundel, and that’s what caused most of the problems.

As of Thursday afternoon, about 40,000 homes in the county were still without power, with most of the outages clustered around Annapolis, Severna Park and the southern region of the county.

Most of the power should be restored by tonight, according to Baltimore Gas & Electric spokeswoman Linda Foy. But it could take until Saturday to complete the job because strong winds in the area continue to knock down power lines.

There were 65 car crashes Wednesday, which is almost double the normal number, Anne Arundel County Police Department spokesman Lt. David Waltemeyer said. There were 22 crashes through Thursday afternoon, which was a few more than normal.

In the worst crash, a truck struck a 12-year-old boy who had ridden his sled into the road near his Gambrills home Wednesday around 3 p.m. He remained in critical condition Thursday at Johns Hopkins Hospital, Waltemeyer said.

A shelter was moved Thursday morning from Annapolis High School to the South County Senior Center to accommodate people whose homes were without power.

Thursday, public schools were closed, but the county government was open. School is also canceled today. Most roads had been cleared by Thursday morning.

The Anne Arundel County Department of Health closed Deep Creek in Arnold Wednesday because 17,500 gallons of wastewater from the Bay Hills pumping station overflowed into the creek due to a power outage.

Andy Zieminski contributed to this story.

lgreenback@baltimoreexaminer.com