Thursday, August 2, 2012
Patch gives readers' a chance to sound off each week on controversial topics or to share some personal experiences around current events.
With recent severe weather events such as July's derecho striking the region, some scientists are pointing to global warming as the culprit. According to a new report from the Environment Maryland Research & Policy Center, extreme rainstorms and snowstorms are now occuring 30 percent more often nationwide than in 1948. "As the old saying goes, when it rains, it pours—especially in recent years as bigger storms have hit Maryland more often," said Tommy Landers, director of Environment Maryland, in a statement. "We need to heed scientists’ warnings that this dangerous trend is linked to global warming and do everything we can to cut carbon pollution today." In addition to the derecho, North Baltimore was also impacted by Tropical Storm Lee …
Wednesday, May 30, 2012
BGE offers a demonstration on just how difficult it is for utility workers to repair downed lines and get power restored following a major storm.
At the peak of Hurricane Irene last August, more than 800,000 homes in Maryland were without power. A majority of BGE’s 3,400 employees, along with about 1,000 from out-of-state, worked around the clock for more than a week to restore all of the power. Many customers were patient, while many others grew frustrated after living in the dark for days with no electricity. Veteran BGE workers like Gordon Johnson understood that frustration—he has seen his fair share of hurricanes and blizzards during his 30-year career with the utility company. But he also wants customers to know that restoring power is often not as simple as patching a wire or flipping a switch. “You’re out there in all the elements and what we’re often dealing with is …
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Maryland has no law governing right of way when power fails and traffic lights go dark.
Hurricane Irene didn't just knock down trees and cut off power. The weekend storm that churned up the East Coast has inadvertently revealed a hole in Maryland's traffic laws, according to a regional motorist organization. Scores of intersections were left without power in the days following the weekend storm, leaving government officials to plead for motorists to treat intersections with inoperable traffic lights as four-way stops. But Maryland law does not require it. "People think we have a law but we don't," said Ragina Averella, public and government affairs manager for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "I was a (Baltimore City) police officer and I thought we had a law." Del. James Malone, chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing motor vehicles …
Damage and power outages in wake of Hurricane Irene have delayed the start of school until Wednesday.
UPDATE (7:18 A.m.)—All but 21 Baltimore County public schools will open for the 2011-2012 school year on Wednesday, school system officials announced Tuesday afternoon via Twitter. Every public high school will open Wednesday, but three middle schools and 16 elementary schools will remain closed. Stoneleigh Elementary had been scheduled to open but was closed after a transformer blew, causing electrical outages, according to a recorded telephone message from the Towson school's principal. Middle school closures for Wednesday: Elementary school closures for Aug. 31: Stay with Patch for updates.
Monday, August 29, 2011
Gov. Martin O’Malley says some residents may be in the dark for days.
More than 450,000 households in Maryland remained without power 35 hours after peak rain and winds from Hurricane Irene hit the state, and the Baltimore area could experience outages until Friday, officials said Monday. “We have not stopped working since the storm hit,” Gov. Martin O'Malley said from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency’s Reisterstown headquarters. But many remained in the dark. "There are some people who are going to be without electricity for a long period of time—several days,” he said. “We will try our best to give you better estimates so you can make accommodations.” Peak power outages hit Sunday, with 822,000 homes' electricity knocked out by winds of up to 65 mph and heavy rain. Wind gusts peaked at 85 mph. BGE…
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Calling all residents of Towson, Dundalk, Lutherville, Timonium, Essex, Middle River, Cockeysville, Parkville, Overlea, Perry Hall and Baltimore City. Keep us and your neighbors up to date on developments as you see them
See a fallen tree? Spot a flooded street? Witness a heroic act? Let your neighbors know about it in real time. You can also upload your photos of the storm by clicking on "add your photos & videos." Thanks. Stay safe.
Gov. Martin O'Malley said 823,000 are without power, 200 roads are closed, almost 4,000 residents in shelters and two reported deaths. BWI is open.
(Updated 1 p.m., Aug. 28) More than 800,000 Maryland residents were without power Sunday, almost 4,000 fled to shelters and two people were killed in a lashing overnight by Hurricane Irene, the Maryland Emergency Management Agency said. Crisfield, in Somerset County, has been issued a mandatory evacuation. Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown said National Guard, Department of Natural Resources and Maryland State Police were aiding in the evacuation. “It’s not life-threatening, but because of rising tides we consider it a precautionary measure,” he said. Ocean City is open as of noon. Nearly 2,000 students who were part of a foreign exchange program that were evacuated will be returning today, Brown said in the latest update for reporters. Sen. Barbara …
High winds could cause additional damage as the day goes on.
11:57 a.m. Many lights on York Road are out. Drivers should treat all non-working lights as stop signs. --- Baltimore County residents woke up to some surreal sights and sounds this morning, from toppled power lines to the chainsaws in the streets. And, of course, the wind, which is expected to keep roaring at tropical storm force through Sunday evening. Maryland is through most of the storm, with rain expected to end in just a couple of hours, according to the National Hurricane Center. Baltimore County emergency officials reported just one death overnight, in an apartment fire in the unit block of Straw Hat Road in Owings Mills. More information on the cause or the victim was not immediately available. Overnight, fire crews rescued a man…
Check for live updates on recovery efforts following Hurricane Irene.
1:04 p.m. Ocean City is open to the public as of noon, and nearly 2,000 students who were visiting from other countries will be returning today, Lt. Gov. Anthony Brown said in the latest update for reporters. Sen. Barbara Mikulski, D-MD, was also at MEMA headquarters. Crisfield, in Somerset County, has been issued a mandatory evacuation, which is being supported by the National Guard, Department of Natural Resources and Maryland State Police, Brown said. “It’s not life-threatening, but because of rising tides we consider it a precautionary measure,” he said. Aerial assessments of Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County, including Annapolis, have been conducted and local teams were assessing damage on the ground statewide. Patch editors …
Saturday, August 27, 2011
Gov. Martin O'Malley on what it's been like leading a major disaster response from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency in Reisterstown.
Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley says he’s never been in an emergency situation in which the president took an interest, he knew evacuating Ocean City was the right thing to do and FEMA is a lot better than it used to be. He sat down in his shirtsleeves with Reisterstown Patch at hurricane central – the Maryland Emergency Management Agency in Reisterstown – where he was planning to sleep Saturday night.
Daniel Ewald
12:50 pm on Thursday, August 2, 2012
“Climate is what you expect, weather is what you get.” 129,404 weather records in one year? You can’t point to any one weather extreme and say “that’s climate change”. But a warmer atmosphere loads the dice, increasing the potential for historic spikes in temperature and more frequent and bizarre weather extremes. You can’t prove that any one of Barry Bond’s 762 home runs was sparked by (alleged… more ›