Downed trees, blocked roads and some street flooding were the calling cards Hurricane Irene left in Laurel this weekend, as wind and rain ripped through the area beginning Saturday night, Aug. 27.
City officials said the weather station at Laurel High recorded a wind gust as high as 59 mph during the worst of the storm, and Laurel received approximately 6 inches of rain in 24 hours.
On Wednesday, some residents were still without power, and a few roads were still blocked by downed trees that were tangled up in power lines, making removal precarious.
"There are a large number of residents without power," Laurel City Spokesman James Collins said Tuesday. "We have been in contact with Baltimore Gas and Electric, but they will … only say power will be restored by Friday or Saturday."
Collins said some areas that continued to be without power Tuesday included West Laurel; Russett; Laurel Hills; Section 7, in Wellington; the 800 and 900 blocks of Main Street; Steward Manor; and Steward Towers.
They weren't alone. About 258,000 Maryland households and businesses remained without power Tuesday afternoon in the wake of Hurricane Irene.
Schools were closed on Monday in Prince George's, Howard and Anne Arundel counties; and most Laurel-area schools reopened Tuesday — an exception being Maryland City Elementary, which was closed through Wednesday.
A 'large boom'
Montgomery Street resident Paul Caron said he heard a "large boom" and his power went out when a maple tree in his front yard was uprooted and flopped across the street around 9 p.m. Saturday.
"I looked out the bedroom window and saw — that," he said Sunday, pointing to the tree that brought down power lines, blocked the road and came to rest with its top branches on the hood of an unoccupied Saturn parked across the street.
Caron said the car belongs to his son Andy's girlfriend, Kim Hokanson, and that they couldn't get the car's doors to open after the tree crashed on its roof.
Public Works Director Paul McCullagh initially said the tree that fell from Caron's yard was too large for the city's equipment to remove, and the street was blocked until Monday, when city workers decided to remove the tree in sections with a loader.
Caron said having his nearly 100-year-old tree fall was "quite a shock," and that he plans to replace it.
'But it won't be a maple," he said.
In Anne Arundel County, a large tree brought down power lines on Brock Bridge Road near Whiskey Bottom Road; and in Russett, trees were down on Oxbow Place and Little River Road. Tim Reyburn and Edward Vazquez, Russett residents who are members of the county's Citizens Emergency Response Team, helped clear trees from two county roads in Russett to allow access.
Roads closed, lights out
The city closed its Emergency Operations Center Sunday morning as Public Works and Code Enforcement crews continued to clear trees and attempt to open roads.
In addition to the 300 block, traffic was also blocked from entering the 400 block of Montgomery Street Sunday because of downed power lines, and BGE crews were on the scene to reinstall the lines.
Overall, Laurel's damage was "minor-type stuff" for a storm this size, McCullagh said Sunday.
On Sunday, the intersection of Cherry Lane and Pirate Lane was closed with several trees down across the road. Those trees still had the road blocked late Tuesday.
Bibi Perrotte-Foston, North Laurel Civic Association president, said the McDonald's on All Saints Road remained closed Tuesday because power was out, and trees were down near High Ridge Park and along Old Scaggsville Road.
Prince George's County officials closed Contee Road near Olive Branch because of flooding at 9:30 p.m. Saturday. By Tuesday, the road was clear.
Still cleaning up?
Laurel: City residents can schedule a special pick up of yard debris. Contact the Department of Public Works at 301-725-0088 or dpws@laure.md.us.
Prince George's County: Sandy Hill Landfill, 9500 Old Laurel Bowie Road, in Bowie, will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. through Sunday, Sept. 4, free of charge for county residents who need to dispose of storm-related brush and tree debris. Storm-related yard waste will be collected on the county's regularly scheduled collection days. For details on debris removal, call Waste Management Division at 301-883-5045. To report trees down on county roads, call 301-499-8520. To report flooding, downed trees, nonfunctioning traffic signals or other hazards on county roads, call 301-350-0500.
Baltimore Gas and Electric: Customers should report downed wires immediately by calling 410-685-0123. To report power outages and get updates on service restoration, call BGE at 1-877-778-2222.
Pepco: Customers should call 1-877-737-2662 to report outages.
