Cleanup efforts underway after storm tears through Harford County
BEL AIR, Md. -- Communities across Central Maryland are picking up the pieces after strong winds spawned by Tuesday night's storms uprooted trees, destroyed homes and left thousands without electricity.
In Harford County, County Executive Barry Glassman said about 14,000 people remain without power as of Wednesday afternoon after felled trees knocked down power lines.
"We've worked with the library system," Glassman said Wednesday morning. "If you need to recharge your medical devices or personal digital devices, our libraries will be open till 7 p.m."
More than 70 roads were closed in the county by the havoc Tuesday evening, but nearly half of them have now reopened. Drivers had to maneuver through intersections with no traffic signal for guidance.
In South Hampton Road, crews had to work around two trees that came down in one yard. One of the root systems was higher than a car.
On Eastbourne Court, a tree that stood tall for decades came crashing down, but residents got lucky.
"We looked out the window and she was like oh my god, like, my, my car is under there," said resident Torie Boston. "And it was kind of crazy because car was parked next to it. And it was as if this tree had split around my car because my car wasn't touched. It was really weird."
No injuries were reported in the county.
"I just want to thank the Lord for sparing our house, sparing our neighborhood," said resident Mark Palmer.
Resident Richard Chizmar said 25 trees on his property were either snapped in half or uprooted.
"You just don't expect to see your complete outside view of your house rearranged," he said.
Trees crashed on top of a home in Churchville, turning the garage nearly inside out.
The American Red Cross said more than a dozen families have turned to the non-profit for assistance following the storm, with disaster workers helping connect individuals with health services and financial support.
Additional reporting by Kelsey Kushner