Harford County residents and emergency crews began cleaning up in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene Sunday morning, as tens of thousands were without power, and widespread damage was reported around the area.
The power outages and impassable roads were so numerous and widespread that Harford County Public Schools announced that the first day of the 2011-2012 school year, scheduled to begin Monday, would be canceled. Harford County government also announced its offices would be closed Monday – with only critical employees required to report. A full storm’s-end update from Harford County government can be found at the end of this story.
However, low-lying areas of Havre de Grace appeared to have avoided any significant flooding, possibly thanks to an overnight low-tide which coincided with the worst parts of the storm.
More than 56,000 local residents were without power Sunday, according to a robo-call issued by county Emergency Manager Rick Ayers. He said traffic lights at many major intersections were not functioning, but warned locals to stay off the roads Sunday if possible.
A motor vehicle accident with a rescue required was reported at the intersection of Harford Road and Reckord Road in Hydes. Details of the crash and any injuries were not immediately available.
Wires were reported down Sunday morning on the 700 block of Shore Drive in Joppa, on the 2100 block of Harkins Road in Pylesville, and at the intersection of Calvary Road and Cedar Lane in Bel Air, according to the county’s emergency operations Web site. A field fire was reported on the 400 block of Bonham Road in Joppa.
Later in the day, wires were reported down at the intersection of Rt. 24 and Sharon Road in Forest Hill, the 400 block of Dembytown Road in Joppa, and the 1400 block of Trappe Road in Street. A large tree fell on power lines off Robin Hood Road, below, one of many around the county.
Traffic lights were out across Aberdeen, closing left-hand turn lanes in the Beard’s Hill area. Paradise Road was closed east of Rt. 543 as crews worked to repair downed wires.
In the Bel Air area, power was out at The Festival shopping center, traffic lights were out on Main St. and businesses along Main St. did not appear to have power.
Traffic lights were out at the intersection of Rt. 24 and Bel Air South Parkway, and also at Rt. 24 and Wheel Road. Some traffic lights were also out along Hickory Avenue. However, traffic lights were working and power was on along Rt. 1 in Bel Air and businesses were open.
A downed tree was blocking the southbound lane of Rt. 924 near Wakely Terrace, but police appeared to be on the scene at around 8:15 am.
A large tree limb fell on a car at a home on East Pennsylvania Avenue in Bel Air as Hurricane Irene passed through the area overnight Saturday.
Power and trees alike were knocked down in Fallston, as well.
In Rocks State Park, the concern was trees impeding traffic.
Water was high and fast in Deer Creek, but did not crest the banks.
The rain-loosened soil along Deer Creek and high winds were enough to topple several large trees.
Several smaller roads outside of Rocks State Park and in the northern end of the county were closed due to fallen trees and limbs.
Baltimore Gas and Electric said crews were working to restore power to 93,000 customers in central Maryland, but expected additional outages to occur as high winds remained through Sunday morning.
“As a result of numerous whole trees and very large tree limbs that have already come down onto power lines, and additional trees expected to fall due to the ongoing high wind, the utility advises customers that the restoration effort will take a minimum of several days to complete,” BGE representatives said in a statement. “In some cases, work is being delayed until it is safe to perform, such as the use of bucket trucks which are extremely hazardous if used when the wind is at or above 25 miles per hour. The utility expects numerous new outages to occur today and possibly throughout the next few days.”
Portions of 93 roads had been closed as of 1:15 p.m. Sunday, while 20 had been cleared and re-opened, according to the county’s tracking system.
Maryland State Police issued caution when traveling through intersections in areas without power:
State troopers are urging motorists to use extreme caution when driving through areas where the power is out and traffic lights are not functioning.
Troopers are on patrol around Maryland are reporting the most serious hazard they are seeing today involves motorists moving through intersections with nonfunctioning traffic lights due to power outages. Many motorists are acting as if they have no obligations if the lights are not working. That is not true and can be deadly.
Maryland State Police and State Highway Administration officials are reminding motorists that upon approaching an intersection with non-functioning traffic lights ALL drivers should stop at the intersection first and then proceed with caution. If lights are on flash, those facing yellow flashing lights can proceed with caution. Those facing red flashing lights must stop and then proceed with caution.
In Havre de Grace, the waters of the Susquehanna turned brown with runoff and silt, but remained well below street level noontime Sunday.
A few trees fell around town, thanks to a already-heavily saturated ground, but missed causing any major damage.
At the end of Alliance Street, John Stansbury and his wife Debbie were cleaning up the small amount of debris in front of their home. The couple piled a few city-provided sandbags in front of their door at 103 Alliance St., but Debbie Stansbury said the water never even came close.
“When Isabel hit [in 2003] we got flooded out,” she said. “We had to start over. This year we didn’t get hit nearly as hard.”
Nonetheless, memories of the earlier hurricane, which flooded much of lower Havre de Grace and destroyed the Promenade, made for a restless night.
“We were all worried last night,” she said. “We couldn’t sleep at all.”
By 6:30 p.m. Sunday, 82 sections of road remained closed and both county government and public schools had already announced they would be closed on Monday.
Harford County Councilman Jim McMahan, in an email update to constituents, reported that a total of 20 people used the shelter set up by the county, but that all had left as of 5 p.m Sunday.
“From County Council President Billy Boniface and all the members of the Council a big thank you to all the folks that worked to help the folks that needed the shelter,” McMahan said.
“I am sure you know there is wide spread infrastructure damage with fallen trees and downed power lines. Some areas will be several days before power is restored,” he added.”
“The complexity of the situation is too awesome to even try to explain. The bright spot in all of this is that personal property damage is minimum compared to what it could have been.”
A full update on the storm’s aftermath was released Sunday evening by Harford County government:
Update on Harford County’s Recovery Efforts from Hurricane Irene
Harford County continues its recovery efforts from Hurricane Irene, and the county’s emergency shelter at Patterson Mill Middle/High School (85 Patterson Mill Road, Bel Air) remains open for county residents who wish to use it. However, pets will no longer be accepted at the facility.
As of 7:00 PM on Sunday, there were 80 sections of county-maintained roads that were closed. Another 43 roads that had been closed had been cleared and reopened. County highways crews are working diligently to clear roads, and an updated listing of the status of county roads is available at www.harfordcountymd.gov/alerts/RoadStatus.cfm.Also as of 7:00 PM, utility companies are reporting over 50,000 customers in Harford County without power. Utility crews are in the field working to restore power as quickly as possible. However given the large amount of homes and businesses without power, utility companies are advising that it may take a number of days before all power is restored.
At least 20 structures were reported as sustaining significant damage from falling debris. The Harford County Department of Inspections, Licenses, and Permits (DILP) has been preforming structural assessments determine whether the structures are habitable.
The most severe damage to a residence appears to have occurred in the 2200 block of Castleton Road in Darlington, where a dwelling was destroyed by fire that resulted from a fallen tree. Two volunteer firefighters and one EMS technician sustained minor injuries and were treated at the scene.
For safety reasons and to allow utility crews to perform their work, Harford County residents are asked to stay off the roads today unless absolutely necessary. If travel is necessary, drivers are reminded to treat intersections with malfunctioning traffic signals as four-way stops. Also, residents using generators are advised to ensure that there is adequate ventilation so as to negate the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.Due to the fact that there remains widespread power outages as a result of Hurricane Irene, as well as a number of county roads that remain closed, Harford County Government offices will be closed Monday, August 29, 2011. Critical employees must report for work as scheduled. Employees of the Office of Information and Communication Technology should report for work unless informed otherwise.
Harford Transit Link bus services will operate as normal on Monday.
The Harford County Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains activated to coordinate recovery in the aftermath of the storm. On Monday, County Executive David R. Craig will announce plans for opening five drop-off locations around the county where residents can dispose of tree debris.
For more information on Harford County’s recovery from Hurricane Irene, visit the county’s website at www.harfordcountymd.gov.
Share your storm story below or in our Forums, and send in any pictures to tellus@daggerpress.com!
Dagger contributors Brian Goodman, Cindy Mumby, and Mark Elloff added additional reporting and photos to this story.
I wasn’t good, but it could have been much worse.
Dear Harford County Sheriff’s Office:
I am sure you are aware of the fact that traffic lights are out at the intersections of both 924 and 24 at Bel Air South Parkway. I’m sure the deputy I saw stopping a motorist to ticket him on the side of 24 noticed it, and surely you have heard WBAL’s traffic reports at some point this morning. I am sure that you are also aware that these intersections are quite busy. Additionally, I am fairly certain that my tax checks to Harford County have been received and negotiated. Perhaps, in the interest of public safety, you could find it in your budget to send ONE deputy to each of these locations. That may be of service to motorists who don’t really feel up to a head-on collision today. Thanks for your consideration in this matter.
Here is an original thought. Instead of bitching, how about using the common sense that you were born with and realize that not only is the power out in your little world but all over the state. You made a choice to go out today knowing that. But because things aren’t back to normal for you, you attack the brave men and women of the Sheriff’s Office who have been working before, during and after this major storm while you were in the safety of your home. You could take all of the deputies, troopers and police officers assigned in the county and not be able to cover all of the lights and intersections in the county that are out and still have manpower to handle calls for service 24 hours a day. Learn some patience and be grateful that we made it through the storm unscathed for the most part.
Did you ever think that maybe this person
Did you ever spot think that maybe when this person you were responding to was on their way to his or her job? And isn’t it the job of the police in this county to protect and serve? While this person may use common sense while entering a MAJOR intersection, not eveyone does.
Most of those busy intersections you’re referring to would require at least 2 officers (ESPECIALLY the 924/24/Tollgate intersection…that one you could even make the case for needing 3 or 4 officers to safely control) to safely direct traffic without making it a bigger mess than it already was. Most of those intersections are also state roads and are handled by MSP, though the HCSO certainly helps out MSP and vice versa when the situation demands it.
Stick 2 officers at each of those intersections and very quickly you have maybe 3 or 4 officers at most (including MSP troopers) trying to respond to calls over the entire county and patrol pitch black neighborhoods. And that’s with the HCSO working 12 hr shifts and having at least 50% more officers on the road than normal during the hurricane and the day after.
why is there a officer parked by john carroll school but at the huge 543 traffic light there is no one?
by the way, excellent report Aaron
Is it just me or does anyone else wonder WHY there are trees next to power lines that are TALLER than the power lines? I see trees with holes cut through them for wires… are we really this stupid? Top them off or cut them down and plant another somewhere else… AWAY from the lines.
Do what they did in England back in the 60’s – bury the cables.
The newly developed (80’s and 90′) areas all the cables are burried. There’s nothing above ground anywhere around me. Power is still out.
That’s true. At some point the lines come out of the ground to be knocked down by trees… which Asplundh or someone else runs around carving holes in the year round instead of lopping off…
Trees grow. Powerlines don’t.
I’m half joking. Half not.
OMG, trying to get around Bel Air is a nightmare. I called Bel Air Police Department and asked why there weren’t any officers at the major intersections. She said they’ve all been working 12 hour mandatory shifts and all leave was cancelled, but then she went on to say there were “other priorities” and they only had 3 officers working! I’m sure all 3 will be handling accident calls because I almost got t-boned twice by morons who don’t know the concept of a 4-way stop. Then, I swear to God, 2 Bel Air PD officers were walking around inside Harford Mall not more than 5 minutes after I spoke to their dispatcher! They didn’t look like they were chasing shoplifters either. I am sure that the reason only 3 were available today is because they worked their 12 hour shifts beginning Friday night and Saturday before anything even happened. If you don’t have to go out, stay home. Wish I had.
I can bet you “other priorities” consisted of making sure the 7-11 didn’t run out of donuts and that the dunkin donuts was protected from looters….oh and that there were no 14 year olds skateboarding on Main Street.
Remember your priorities!
Mommy Dearest, If you think you can do better why don’t you apply to the sherriff’s office or state police. That way you can work wierd shifts and get to meet all the areas finest citizens under the best of conditions.
You could even get to work day and night through natural disasters just to take care of self centered, non caring persons, such as yourself. You could really set em all straight on how to handle a natural disaster.
Why don’t you try thanking our public servants for their sefless dedication during this time rather than denegrating them because you can’t make a left where you feel entilted to.
Heaven forbid we stay home and listen to authority. Or, just assume you are taking a risk if you don’t listen and not complain about it.
I was out just before 5am this morning and those “dark” intersections were death traps. I started using my hazard lights when I came to a stop at them. But I had to find some ice and get to work (somewhat storm required).
At least our deputies aren’t out shooting people on bridges. Get over it.
Noble: I, like you, had no choice but to go out today. I wasn’t complaining, I was warning people to be careful because there is no control out there.
Oh I know, my comment came after yours, but was not in response to it.
Someone who “had” to go out but was at Harford Mall? I’m sure whatever you needed there could have waited.
Raina, you don’t know anything about my life. I was taking a friend to work and I walked in with her, not that I owe you an explanation.
Again that doesn’t sound like you “had” to go out. It obviously wasn’t an emergency. And you’re right I don’t know anything about your life. But you shouldn’t be so quick to judge the police officers and then get defensive when someone judges you. You have no idea what they were there for.
And “mommie dearest” complaining was exactly what you were doing.
Righteous Raina: I’m glad you’re here to judge me for taking my friend to work. I can sleep soundly now.
You shouldn’t dish out what you can’t handle your self. It’s called hypocrisy.
holy cow, shooting people on bridges…… LMAO
I guess the moniker should be said, stop whining and live with the adversity, I can recall drinking out of the water hose, and not wearing a helmet, have you become so dependent upon those around you that you forgot how to make independent rational decisons about life factors?????? like maybe stopping at an intersection for the sake of safety….
Even the police don’t pay hee to these lights being out. I was almost t-boned by a sheriff in an unmarked patrol car at the intesection of 22 & main street last night when he/she blew through the intersection without stopping. I had come to a complete stop, along with someone that was travelling the same direction as the cop. The cop went around them without slowing as I was proceeding through the intersection.
Today Bel Air still has traffic lights out and the police are not even attempting to control traffic. They would rather pass the long line of backed up traffic in the lanes that are blocked off or stand outside their cars chatting with each other than direct taffic.
If they are so busy why are they able to find time to stand on the side of the road? What a joke.
Why can’t we get BGE to report progress in bringing the power back on??
I found that the first several times I called BG&E, they thanked me for reporting the outage, but did not give me an estimated time of restoration. I called this morning (11-ish), and this time they said there was a crew in my area and power should be restored by 2 pm, which it was. This leads me to believe that they are not updating the hotline until there is actually a team onsite working the issue. Hope your power comes back soon, Tad!
Here’s Your Sign: I wasn’t “attacking the brave men and women…” blah blah blah. At no point in my tongue-in-cheek commentary did I cite a specific deputy. Instead, I was criticizing the ADMINISTRATION of the Sheriff’s Department, who seems to favor “special projects” to any other police work. To prove my point, there is now a state trooper at each of the intersections I mentioned, so they must have considered it enough of a priority. 24 is used by thousands of motorists each morning on their way to 95. It should have been given first priority. It’s obvious the County had absolutely no contingency plan for this event.
Although your commentary might have been toward the Admin you obviously took a swipe at the deputies on the street with your remark about the deputy issuing a ticket instead of manning 924 or 24. The truth of the matter is those are state roads and are the responsibility of the State Police but again the manpower issue crops up because the storm caused so much damage that it would have been impossible to man all of the intersections and still effectively “protect and serve” the public with all of the calls for their assistance. I stand by my original point in that patience instead of snarky remarks would go a long way.
I agree. Most people forget to use the common sense that at intersections where power goes out… it turns into four way stops. People are impatient and expect rapid results. Damned if you do and damned if you don’t. Even if there were officers posted at every single intersection that didn’t have power, people would find something else to complain about.
Okay, so the state police were spread thin. Is there a law against the county cops ensuring safety of the citizenry?
You are a lost cause my friend. You can’t see the forest through the trees. I suspect your political feelings might be getting in the way of reality here. It sounds like you think there is an infinite number of law enforcement to pass around here. My point is I don’t think there was enough to be able to cover all the intersections (for 24 hrs a day) and still handle their calls (for 24 hrs a day). Take a second an imagine what that number is. I think the gravity of the situation might surprise you. At any length we have both made our points. Have a safe and wonderful day!
Okay, so the state police were spread thin. Is there a law against the county sheriff’s office protecting the safety of the citizenry?
Something that would have been helpful is some sort of public announcement about how they planned to manage the intersections where the lights are out. Because as opposed to yesterday when they weren’t manning them, today they manned them with orange cones everywhere, making left turns all but impossible for miles. I literally had to make 8 right turns and backtrack 5 miles in two directions to get where I was going– putting aside the fact that everyone else had to do the same thing so we all sat in long lines.
I’m not complaining about that fact. I just think since they obviously had a plan to deal with the signals being out, they could have clued everyone in on it to save a lot of frustration today.
I felt like a rat in a maze this morning. If notified, I would have planned a different route.
Side note, for road closures refer to this: (which doesn’t help the above problem)
http://www.harfordcountymd.gov/alerts/RoadStatus.cfm
Sign- I’m pretty sure Hunter was talking about a specific busy intersection. I didn’t read anywhere that he or she was demanding a cop at every light that was out.
Incidentally, did you hear about the accident that happened about half an hour after Hunter posted this at that very intersection he or she mentioned?
Why are “holes” cut in trees around power lines and the trees not cut down?
Because the same people who cry over lost electricity are the same ones who will not allow BGE to trim the trees or remove completely. Just because a tree is near a power line or tall enough to rip them down doesn’t give BGE the rights to clear a tree. The customer must allow for that work to be performed.
BGE has a right of way where thier power lines are they can cut what they want. BGE used to take trees down but it costs too much and the tree huggers cry so much it’s better just to trim.
holy cow, shooting people on bridges…… LMAO
I guess the moniker should be said, stop whining and live with the adversity, I can recall drinking out 0f the water hose, and not wearing a helmet, have you become so dependent upon those around you that you forgot how to make independent rational decisons about life factors??????
That’s everything now! I agree with you the government has so over regulated everything “for your safety” so when something fails nobody knows what to do. Daytime running lights on all cars (cars don’t need daytime running lights) now we are so desensitized to seeing headlights we look right thru motorcycles and emergency vehicles. Sprinklers in all houses and buildings (adds a lot of cost, and does a lot of damage to floor below for a small fire) sure schools nursing homes etc. but not every building needs one. When that sprinkler does not work all your firefighters of the future will be looking at each other while your house burns down. People have become so insulated they fall apart at the first sign of adversity.
Sheeple you are wrong. BGE has no right of way. They piggy back on a county right of way or establish an easement. It does not give the right to remove trees. Only the right to remove the portion of the tree that makes contact with equipment. They still need customer permissions. Everyone wants something for nothing. When you ask them if you can remove the tree their first words are “what’s in it for me?”
Taxed… (nice name, by the way, though ironic, given your commentary) just want to make sure I’m getting your logic right here. So the taxpayers pay every bit of the police officers’ salaries, but we don’t get to be constructively critical of some issues of isolated mismanagement during a natural disaster? I suppose it’s put up or shut up. And to this ridiculous assertion that we should’ve completely stayed off the roads except for the case of an “emergency,” though God knows who defines that, while many had no power for 72 hours– some of us work for a living and our private enterprise employers expect us to show up regardless of road conditions. And nobody has yet to answer my observation that the intersection in question under Hunter’s comment saw a bad accident that very morning.
Boo=hoo-hoo,
you live in a very isolated and cushy world, obviously you think you are more important than the rest in the county. I’l bet when you get to work, they even have coffee waiting for you and tell you how nice your tie looks,and you probably dont even know their names or any pertinent information relating to them on a personal level, only that they live to serve YOU!!
The sheriff and state police asked for everyone who didnt need ot drive on the road to stay home and not place yourslef or others in a precarious position by having to drive through intersections that were not working. It is okay to question the government, however use some common sense, rather than act like a sixth grader and think about yourself.
The whole is worth more than the one……………