SYKESVILLE, Md. — Just last week, an EF-1 tornado briefly touched down east of I-97. Now the Baltimore region and beyond is bracing for the potential to see more tornadoes, as severe weather is predicted to affect a large portion of the East Coast Monday.
WATCH: Maryland braces for severe weather threat
The National Weather Service estimates the twister that touched down in Cooksville last Wednesday uprooted or snapped 50 trees within a 100 yard swath. Large trees had also been uprooted in nearby Sykesville neighborhoods, causing property damage.
“It was crazy. For about 5-10 minutes it was pretty brief but it got black and green in the sky, insane winds,” witness David Beares said.
Bonnie Zimmerman has not one, but multiple trees that toppled in her backyard during the storm. She says it’s a mess but is grateful it wasn’t worse.
“They didn’t hit anything but fence line. I’m grateful for that, I praise God for that,” she said. “If they had fallen towards the house. They would have taken the house out. They could have killed three generations in one fell swoop.”
Zimmerman wasn’t home at the time the tornado warning began. But her grandson, son and husband were. She was on the phone at the time with her husband.
“While I was on the phone with him, he yelled to my grandson 'We have to go to the basement, we have to go now,'” she said. “They didn’t hear any [trees falling] because the storm was so loud.”
They’re preparing for the possibility there could more damage come Monday's storm, though are hopeful the worst is behind them.
Officials urge everyone to have a safety plan in place for a possible tornado warning. Seek out the shelter you will use now— one that is preferably a windowless, interior room on the lowest level of your home or workplace, like a closet, bathroom or basement. Doing so could save precious minutes and lives.
“I hope it doesn’t hit right here again. I also have people flying out tomorrow so I hope [it] doesn’t last too long and isn’t too intense,” Beares said. “It’s scary. There seems to be a lot more of them these days than when I was a kid.”
BGE prepares for possible outages
Baltimore Gas and Electric has mobilized preparing in anticipation of downed power lines and widespread outages.
The company reports fallen trees and limbs cause nearly half of power outages during storms. Do not approach any fallen overhead power lines, even if they do not appear to be live or sparking. Call BGE at 877-778-2222 to report downed electrical lines or outages.
You can also text 69243 or report outages online.
BGE prioritizes restoring power to public safety and essential services first like 911 centers, hospitals and pumping stations. Bucket trucks cannot operate during high winds.
How you can prepare now:
- Assemble an emergency kit with flashlight, battery powered radio, first aid supplies, medications, important phone numbers, blankets and extra batteries.
- Fully charge all devices (phones, laptops, Electric Vehicles) before the storm
- Keep bottled water and non-perishable food on hand
- Keep working flashlight with fresh batteries one each floor (candles are not recommended due to fire risk)
- Have a backup plan if using medical equipment reliant on electricity, in case of extended outage
