TIMONIUM, Md. — At the height of the storm, a huge tree crashed onto the roof of a home on Chapel Ridge Road in Timonium, and a few blocks away, someone captured an image of a hot power line dancing on Mays Chapel Road, yet Bill Baker remained unfazed.
“You know. I really don’t pay much attention to it,” Baker told us. “You know. It’s just a bad thunderstorm. I’m old enough that I’ve been through a lot of them, so.”
But Baker had no idea that the storm had taken quite a toll on a stretch of Maryland from Carroll County east through Harford County, striking hard at Baltimore County, which lies right in the middle.
READ MORE: Severe storms knock out power, topple trees in area counties
“Our fire department, police department, emergency management, public works and transportation all came together collectively to address as many roadways as possible to clear them as quickly and as safely as possible. We are dealing with, as we see here, a few situations where we have downed wires in addition to downed trees,” said County Executive Johnny Olszewski, as he toured a section of closed off Phoenix Road.
“We have about 70 roads that are still closed due to the trees and the wires,” added DPWT Acting Director D’Andrea Walker. “At this point, we cannot move those trees until those wires have been deactivated.”
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At mid-day, Baltimore County still had 30,000 homes without power as BGE crews continued repairing the damage that the storm had left behind.
READ MORE: More than 112,000 Maryland residents affected by power outages due to severe weather
“Is it a big tree or small tree? Is it an oak?” Baker asked when someone presented with a cellphone picture of some damage a little closer to home.
Upon closer inspection, he soon learned a large tree had fallen in his back yard and he, too, was a victim.
“Yes, you’re right,” said Baker. “I didn’t know about that. It probably made some noise, but I didn’t hear it.”
The county says it will just have to wait and see if it becomes eligible for any state or federal disaster relief to help with the cleanup.
