Howard County Tornado 2016
Last week’s tornado put life in a bit of perspective. A EF-0 tornado hit Howard County, downing trees and cutting off power to 30,000 residents.
Despite the daunting aftermath, County Executive Allan Kittleman and his team swung into action, working around the clock to clear storm debris, restore power, deal with downed lines, and to clear roads and streets.
The Tornado’s Impact
The tornado lasted about 20 minutes (between 1:29 and 1:48 PM). 22 buildings sustained damage, including Glenelg High School.
Nearly 30,000 county residents lost power, according to the Baltimore Gas and Electric company and First Energy, the two companies that serve Howard County. Heavy storm weather came before and after the tornado, downing lines and trees alike. Fortunately, no one was seriously injured.
The Community Comes Together
County officials moved quickly to open two centers to drop off storm debris. The Howard County Living Farm Museum on Frederick Road and Burleigh Manor Middle School on Centennial Lane supplemented the Alpha Ridge Landfill as locations for residents to drop off storm debris.
Two water buffaloes – each holding up to 2,000 gallons – were also available to help residents who had lost water.
By Friday, 150 drop offs had been made to the three centers for storm debris. When the weekend came, almost every county resident had their power restored. On Tuesday afternoon alone, dispatchers had handled 1,200 calls, which was six times the normal volume, according to Kittleman in a Facebook post.
“When you have a tornado that goes approximately 13 miles through [the] county and no serious injuries reported, certainly [that’s] a positive thing for us,” said Kittleman. The County Executive had been posting updates on downed lines, power outages, and visiting storm damaged areas.
One particular visit was poignant. On Wednesday, Kittleman visited Sam Heisig’s home, where a tree had fallen on the house. Fortunately, she and her brother had been sheltering in the basement and no one was injured. Her words were, according to Fox News 5, “We’re just definitely blessed that we got out safe and that’s all that matters.”
That’s a sentiment that all of us can get behind.
More Information
As the cleanup and the aftermath continues, here’s some information and handy links:
Remember, the Maryland Insurance Administration can provide assistance w/ insurance disputes and claims: https://t.co/rewt6oMF3V #HoCoMD
— Allan H. Kittleman (@HoCoGovExec) June 25, 2016
Will Insurance pay for a place to live if my home is damaged?
What if a tree fell on my property?
And you can follow the Maryland Insurance Administration on Facebook.
Please follow County Executive Allan Kittleman on Facebook and Twitter to get more information about storm clean up.
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Kittleman Administration Meets With Storm Victims
On June 27th, the Kittleman Administration held a town hall meeting for residents affected by the storm at the Gary J. Arthur Community Center in Glenwood. There, county officials were on hand to speak directly with residents to discuss the relief efforts and how to handle the aftermath.
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