City and county officials spent Tuesday afternoon assessing damages after Tropical Storm Isaias flooded dozens of roads, ripped down trees and cut off power for thousands as it hammered the region with torrential rain and gusting winds for hours.
Tornadoes were spotted in on the lower Eastern Shore and in Southern Maryland, and one motorist was killed in St. Mary’s County during the storm.
Fast-moving Isaias started the day at the mouth of the Chesapeake Bay, where it pummeled Hampton Roads in Virginia after causing two deaths in North Carolina overnight. At their peak, outages in the Virginia communities 140 miles south of Annapolis totaled in nearly 300,000.
By evening, the storm had swept through New York and into New England, where it brought the strongest winds since Superstorm Sandy almost eight years ago.
Isaias moved at about 35 mph across Anne Arundel County. It cut power for as many as 19,900 county residents, according to BGE’s outage map, more than 7% of the 256,800 customers the company serves in the county. Almost 60 roads were closed by flooding across the county.
County Executive Steuart Pittman and emergency management officials for their preparedness during the storm.
“I think we were protecting a lot of folks and we still have a lot of folks without power,” Pittman said. “So, thank you to everybody in county government who steps up at a time like this. It’s when the taxpayers understand why we do our jobs and we understand how important our jobs are to help save lives.”
BGE crews had the number of county residents without power down to 11,500 by 7 p.m. Tuesday. About 3,200 were located in the Annapolis area.
High winds shut down traffic across the Bay Bridge for nearly three hours. Maryland Transit Authority officials allowed traffic to resume at about 12:15 p.m.
Wind gusts in the eastern part of the county reached 40-50 mph. Western area winds reached 20-30 mph. Winds peaked at about 48 mph near Annapolis, said Cody Ledbetter, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
Other parts of Maryland saw tornadoes in multiple areas in the lower Eastern Shore and Southern Maryland, including St. Mary’s Wicomico, Worcester and Calvert counties.
In St. Mary’s County, a driver died during the storm Tuesday morning. It took responders several hours to extract the driver of a car in Mechanicsville after a large tree fell on it around 9:30 a.m., according to Cpl. Julie Yingling, a spokeswoman for the St. Mary’s County Sheriff’s Office.
Meanwhile, state troopers rescued one person after two cars were swept into high water around 11 a.m. on Brandywine Road near the border between Charles and Prince George’s counties. Rescuers took one person to the hospital and were looking for a second person, the Maryland State Police said.
Around 2.5-4 inches of rain was measured in Annapolis, said Preeti Emrick, Anne Arundel County director of emergency management. Flooding around City Dock began around 8 a.m. forcing the closure of Compromise Street. Dock Street avoided flooding as the storm passed over.
Annapolis was bracing for more flooding Tuesday night as a potential 4-foot tidal surge was expected at high tide.
The city has assembled eight damage assessment teams — one for each ward — to compile damage reports from around the city of any downed trees or powerlines and any other damage caused by the fast-moving storm, Simmons said.
The county fire department has staffed additional brush units to handle any downed power lines, said Capt. Erik Kornmeyer, a department spokesman. He said two firefighters ride in the smaller vehicle, which is equipped with a hose and water.
They’re typically deployed to deal with brush fires, though Kornmeyer said no downed electrical lines had sparked fires as of Tuesday morning. Similarly, firefighters hadn’t responded to any major accidents during the duration of the still-nascent storm — only fender-benders, Kornmeyer said.
By early afternoon, the threat of rapid flooding had dissipated. But flood warnings were in effect for the entire county until 6 p.m., according to the National Weather Service. A coastal flood warning for shoreline in the county remains in effect until 3 a.m. Wednesday.
About 2-3 inches of rain was reported in north Anne Arundel County. Southern Anne Arundel County experienced about 4-5.5 inches of rain, Emrick said during a news conference call Tuesday morning
Dozens of roads were closed across Anne Arundel County because of flooding or downed trees, according to state tallies. More than 60 roads were still closed as of 1:45 p.m.
Defense Highway, a common flooding area, was closed in both directions due to rising waters. County trash collection and coronavirus testing were canceled for Tuesday, as officials braced for the storm. Matt Diehl, a county public works spokesman, said crews scheduled to pick up trash and recycling curbside Tuesday would do so Wednesday. Coronavirus testing is expected to continue Wednesday as well.
The Maryland State Highway Administration reported road closings across the county, including high water on eastbound and westbound MD450 between Housley Road and Huntwood Drive. And weather-related debris closed all lines on Route 50 west near the MD 70 Rowe Blvd. exit for about an hour, the agency tweeted. All lanes reopened around 1 p.m.
In Annapolis, a George Floyd mural located at Susan Campbell Park was blown into the water during the storm.
The Annapolis Harbormaster announced vessels could begin anchoring in city waters again after 2 p.m.
The city opened the Hillman Garage Monday night to provide free parking for residents who want to move their cars from low-lying, flood-prone areas. Cars can remain in the garage until 8 a.m. Wednesday.
As the county remained under a tornado watch into Tuesday night, meteorologists saw on the radar “plenty of spins out in the bay,” which could indicate water spouts, Ledbetter said. One such spin bordered the county, but fortunately, none are believed to have come ashore.
“The tornado threat is gradually migrating to the north,” Ledbetter said.
The storm, Ledbetter said, is expected to clear out of the area by early afternoon as it continues on its past north. However, gusts of wind could linger after 1 or 2 p.m., he said.
Closings
Stanton Community Center
Kenneth R. Dunn municipal pool at Truxtun Park
Pip Moyer Recreation Center
Baltimore Sun reporters Jean Marbella, Phil Davis and Colin Campbell contributed to this story.
