Arbutus Spared Worst of Storm

The deadly storm that passed over the region late Friday night left a half-million people without power--including many Arbutus residents--and damaged trees throughout the area.

But the Arbutus area was spared the worst of the violent storm, with no injuries or fatalities reported in this area, according to officials.

Sections of Arbutus, Relay and Wynnewood had no electricity as of Saturday afternoon, and to all customers, according to Baltimore Gas and Electric spokesperson Rob Gould.

According to reports from Patch readers, electricity is working in Lansdowne and Baltimore Highlands. Most of the power failure appears to be outside of the beltway.

Traffic lights are inoperable on Washington Boulevard from the beltway to at least the Howard County line.

The and the are closed and without power. The Catonsville Library is open as an emergency cooling center until 5:30 p.m. on Saturday.

Damage from the storm in Patapsco State Park was modest, according to park officials. The Grist Mill trail is closed, and the bathrooms at the Orange Grove area don't have power, a park ranger said. 

Teresa Morgan, who works at a fireworks stand in front of the Beltway Motel, said that her boyfriend's mother was keeping an eye on the stand when the storm hit Friday night.

The winds were so powerful that a gust lifted the tent covering the stand and ripped it from its tethers, according to Morgan.

"It was not pretty," she said. "It lifted the entire tent. My boyfriend's mother was hit by the pole when it collapsed. She wasn't hurt bad."

On Saturday, Morgan was at the scene surveying the damage.

"We have a whole bunch of stuff that got damaged," she said.

The company that owns the fireworks stand is delivering a replacement tent and new inventory, Morgan said.

"We'll start all over again," she said. "We're getting more stuff, and we'll be open for business by tonight."

The National Weather Service issued a warning for another severe storm forecast to move through the area Saturday night.

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