Despite damage, Mid-Atlantic residents say it could have been worse

Mid-Atlantic residents woke up Sunday morning with a sense of relief that Hurricane Irene had not caused more damage despite overnight warnings of possible dam breaches and storm-caused problems at a nuclear power plant.

"It looks like we were really lucky," said Allen Posey, deputy director of emergency services in Annapolis, Md.  Posey said officials took the warnings seriously and made preparations based on their past experience with Hurricane Isabel, which caused significant damage in 2003. 

"This is nothing like that, thank goodness," Posey said.

PHOTOS: In the path of Irene

That was the mood at 7:30 a.m. in St. Mary's County, Md., where a bleary-eyed sheriff, Timothy K. Cameron, looked over a four-page list of local roads blocked by trees. Another sheet listed reports of modest injuries and damage.

 

Still, he concluded, "I guess we were lucky."

This mostly rural Maryland county near the confluence of the Potomac River and the Chesapeake Bay had been on high alert since Hurricane Irene blew in early Saturday evening. At 1:37 a.m., automated "code red alert" calls went to thousands of county residents warning that the St. Mary's Lake Dam was in danger of being breached.

"It came close, but the dam is okay," Cameron said early Sunday.

At nearby Calvert Cliffs Nuclear Power Plant in Lusby, Md., a large gust of wind blew a piece of aluminum siding into the main transformer Saturday night, triggering an automatic shutdown of a reactor and causing the plant to declare an "unusual event."

Mark Sullivan, a spokesman for Constellation Energy Nuclear Group, said there was no other significant damage at the Calvert Cliffs plant.

A second reactor at the plant remained online.

"There was never a threat to the public," Sullivan said.  "The site remains stable and secure."

Another code red alert was issued in Annapolis early Sunday because authorities feared that the Waterworks Dam might be breached. 

"We were worried, but we are doing OK now," city spokeswoman Rhonda Wardlaw said shortly after dawn.

The city, located where the Severn River meets the Chesapeake Bay, had several areas of flooding, more than 30 downed trees, and reports of roof damage.

Still, Wendover said, "we are now focused on cleanup."

Similar reports came from towns and cities along the Mid-Atlantic coast. Ocean City, Md., had been evacuated before the storm. Winds over 60 miles per hour forced police there to halt patrols after midnight. Residents began to return early in the morning, finding many downed trees and properties strewn with debris.

Similar reports came from Dewey Beach, Del., and shore towns in New Jersey. 

Philadelphia remained in a state of emergency, its first since 1986. In suburban areas, officials reported flooding and power outages. The Darby Town Center shopping mall parking lot was under water.

In Washington, D.C., residents awoke to slightly higher water levels on the Potomac and a steady stream of rain. The weather didn't stop vendors from setting up tents in Dupont Circle for the weekly farmer's market.

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Photo: Residents of Washington, D.C., inspect a downed tree on Yuma Street. Credit: Paul West / Washington Bureau

 

 

Hurricane Irene brings flooding to coastal Virginia

Coastal Virginia residents coped with downed trees, power lines and some serious flooding Saturday night as a massive but weakened Hurricane Irene moved up the East Coast.

"A lot of our low-lying areas are experiencing flooding," said Steve Cover, Virginia Beach fire chief, at about 10 p.m. EDT as the eye of the storm was about 10 miles away.

PHOTOS: In the path of Irene

Dominion Power reported that nearly 800,000 Virginia customers lost power Saturday evening and three deaths were reported in the state, all due to trees falling on buildings and cars, killing occupants.

About 8 p.m., the storm blew forcefully off Chesapeake Bay into Annapolis, Md., causing localized flooding and getting the attention of even the most storm-seasoned residents of the city of 38,000.

At the time, the historic downtown area was open, with small numbers of customers at the bars and restaurants. The winds picked up over the next two hours, sometimes hitting 50 mph, according to Rhonda Wardlaw, the city's spokeswoman.

As the weather worsened,  "People figured it was time to go home," she said.

By 10 p.m., most of the bars had closed, as had major roads and bridges.

"We have heavy wind gusts and horizontal rain continuing," she said at 11 p.m. "We are in the middle of the peak of the storm." Wardlaw said the city was experienced flooding in low-lying areas, affecting  500 to 1,000 homes.

Farther north, Pennsylvania residents nervously awaited the storm. For the first time in more than a decade,  Philadelphia declared a state of emergency. Residents in low-lying areas were evacuated to shelters in several parts of the state.

Nerves were jangled but there were some light moments, even in Virginia Beach.

As Weather Channel reporter Eric Fisher delivered a newscast from a Virginia Beach street, a group of half-dressed men sauntered into camera range.

“One thing that has not decreased, that we'd like to see, is the traffic; no shortage of incredibly -- well, I'll bite my tongue -- people who have been coming out,” he said as the group appeared behind him during the live shot.

“We're talking about dozens of people who have walked by me,” he said as he spotted the group, and then turned back toward the camera. Seconds later, one of the men dropped his shorts.

“People like what you see behind me, which I apologize for,"  he continued. "I don't even want to show it. At this point, I don't even want to show you any more.”

A bit farther north, in the Washington area, the storm was a constant presence but not so threatening that it closed bars and restaurants.

"We are here and we plan to be here until the floodwaters come," said Kirsten Fiery, a bartender at the Quarry House, a venerable bar in downtown Silver Spring,  Md., a gritty first-ring suburb of Washington.

Fiery was not speaking entirely in jest: The basement pub has flooded numerous times during severe storms that have blown in over its 70-year history. As of 10 p.m., the wood-paneled bar was open, music was playing and the crowd was buoyant -- but small for a Saturday night.

"I guess people are afraid they'll blow away,” Fiery said.

Murphy's Grand Irish Pub in downtown Alexandria, Va., about seven blocks from the city dock where TV crews had staked out spots to watch the Potomac waters rise, had live music and a full bar Saturday night.

Manager Greg Davis said he hoped the storm's winds wouldn't pick up until after the pub had closed down.

“It's kind of business as usual," Davis said. "We weren't really sure what we're going to get. We're slower than usual, but we've got a full bar on both floors and people seem to be in a good mood."

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 -- Tom Hamburger and Kim Geiger in Silver Spring, Md., and Washington, D.C.

Photo: A small car gets stuck on a flooded roadway near Rudee Inlet as Hurricane Irene hits Virginia Beach, Va. Credit: Steve Helber/Associated Press