Powerful Winds Storm Through Md., Off Power
BALTIMORE (WJZ)--If you took even one step outside Friday, you felt it and certainly heard it. Howling, powerful winds ripped through Maryland, and they sure left behind a big mess.
Weijia Jiang reports from Northwest Baltimore with a look at the damage.
From day to night, wild winds in Maryland knocked everything around, including people.
"Yeah, it almost lifts you off the ground," said Linda Bin.
"It kinda gets underneath the car. You gotta grip the wheel at 10 and two and hold on for dear life," said Will Guy, driver.
Even a parked car on Falls Road was damaged after the roof of a nearby house landed on it, shattering the windshield.
Toppled trees blocked entire streets. The gusts were so powerful, some 80,000 BGE customers lost power.
"We're worried about keeping warm," said Stacy Alperstein of Reisterstown. "We have three little kids hoping we'll get power soon."
Crews tackled power lines tangled up in trees from the city to areas like Catonsville.
"They're working overnight," said Linda Foy, BGE. "We've made requests for external crews to assist us. The restoration effort is in full force."
While many roads are blocked off, others that have debris and power lines down around them are still open.
Emergency crews warn drivers to build in extra time to maneuver through safely.
"There's a tree cut in half down here," said Glenn Miller, driver. "I'm surprised this way isn't closed."
Then there's property damage. In Waverly, a tree and a light post crushed two cars.
The wind rocked a rowhouse, turning it into a pile of debris.
Though the wind has died down, the havoc it raised remains.
Click here to see a slideshow of the windy weather. Click here for power outages.
