Storm downs trees, closes roads in central Md.
WASHINGTON — Officials are reporting trees down, roads closed and tens of thousands of power outages in Maryland and Delaware after a line of heavy thunderstorms moved through. Carroll County Emergency Management Director James Weed says large hail fell near Union Bridge and New Windsor on Thursday. He says it piled up “to the point […]
Weather service to survey Md., Del. storm damage
The National Weather Service crews will inspect damage around Maryland and Delaware after severe storms blew through the region. Meteorologist Brandon Peloquin says storm survey crews will visit several locations in central and southern Maryland on Tuesday to determine whether damage reported in those areas was caused by a tornado or straight line winds. A […]
Flight cancellations expected as storm barrels toward Mid-Atlantic
A late-winter storm barreled through the Midwest, snarling air travel in and out of Chicago, and it will soon take aim at busy airports around Washington, D.C. By late morning Tuesday, more than 1,200 flights had been canceled, almost all at Chicago’s O’Hare and Midway airports. The airlines were already looking one day ahead and […]
Storm preparations made across Mid-Atlantic
HAGERSTOWN — Road crews coated highways with brine and utility companies secured extra workers Tuesday as a double-barreled winter storm threatened to bring traffic snarls and power outages to Washington and the Middle Atlantic region. A flurry of cancellations and safety warnings preceded the expected arrival overnight of rain followed by wet snow that was […]
Public Service Commission orders power utilities to improve
Electric utilities will be ordered to improve their distribution systems to make them more reliable after last summer’s derecho storm when nearly 1 million customers lost power, but the Maryland Public Service Commission said Wednesday that it would not impose any fines or penalties. The commission noted a “significant and unsatisfactory disconnect” between the public’s [&h[...]
State replacing Garrett County emergency chief
OAKLAND — The administration of Gov. Martin O’Malley says it plans to replace Garrett County’s emergency management chief to correct deficiencies revealed by Superstorm Sandy. Israel Patoka, executive director of the Governor’s Office of Community Initiatives, said Monday that the county needs a full-time director. Brad Frantz has been working on a contractual basis since [&hel[...]
Federal regulators criticize Verizon’s response to derecho
WASHINGTON — Federal regulators have issued a sharply critical report on phone problems that followed a severe wind storm in the Washington-metro area last year. The Federal Communications Commission says even now, it remains concerned about the maintenance and repair practices of Verizon Communications. The FCC says stronger regulation is needed nationwide for telephone companies […]
U.S. storm’s toll up to 6 dead as system heads east
MOBILE, Ala. — A powerful storm system that erupted Christmas Day with Gulf Coast tornadoes and snow in the nation’s midsection headed for the Northeast on Wednesday, spreading blizzard conditions that slowed holiday travel. The death toll rose to six with car accidents on snow and sleet-slickened highways in Arkansas and Oklahoma. Post-Christmas travelers braced […]
Garrett Co. reviews actions as storm cleanup continues
OAKLAND — Garrett County officials are reviewing their response to Superstorm Sandy, which dumped 3 feet of heavy, wet snow, and caused catastrophic damage to the power system, closed roads and threatened communications networks. At a briefing Thursday in Oakland, county commissioners and staff talked about the challenges they faced during and after the storm. […]
Md. warns homeowners to hire licensed tree experts
ANNAPOLIS — Maryland’s Department of Natural Resources is reminding homeowners to make sure they hire licensed tree professionals to trim or remove trees damaged by Hurricane Sandy. Department officials say state law requires anyone who treats, trims, or removes trees to be licensed and insured. And they say homeowners can verify whether someone is licensed […]
O’Malley calls snowy Garrett Co. ‘my whole state’
OAKLAND — Gov. Martin O’Malley focused resources Thursday on restoring electricity to Garrett County and checking on snowbound residents suffering their fourth day without power after a blizzard spawned by Superstorm Sandy buried western Maryland’s mountains under more than two feet of snow. About 15,000 homes and businesses, comprising nearly 70 percent of the county’s [&helli[...]
Despite storm, U.S. jobs report to be issued on time
WASHINGTON — The monthly U.S. jobs report will be released as scheduled Friday despite earlier concerns that Superstorm Sandy might force the Labor Department to delay its release. The report on hiring and the unemployment rate for October will be the final jobs report before Election Day on Tuesday. Department officials had said earlier in […]