Over the weekend, a powerful storm caused significant damage along the Eastern Seaboard, leaving two people dead and almost 900,000 without power.
The storm affected states like Georgia, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and others, bringing strong winds, downing power lines, and knocking over poles. One of the areas worst hit was Westminster, Maryland – an area with a population of over 41,000 – where 34 cars were trapped by downed power lines.
In Anderson, South Carolina, a 15-year-old was killed when a tree fell onto a garage at his grandparents’ house. And in Florence, Alabama, a 28-year-old man was killed when he was struck by lightning.
THE STORM HAS
ARRIVED ⛈️Maryland shows live cam of Tornado Storm that has moved through‼️#WeatherForecast #TornadoWarning pic.twitter.com/4i2ZikmFBO
— CBKNEWS (@CBKNEWS121) August 8, 2023
Thousands of flights were either delayed or canceled due to the storm, with some of the busiest airports in the country affected. The cancellations and delays affected Atlanta, Philadelphia, Charlotte, JFK, and Newark. Eight thousand five hundred flights were delayed, and over 1,700 were canceled due to the storm.
Couple of shelf pictures from north of Gastonia NC #wx #NCWx pic.twitter.com/Vm5yISl13E
— Jeff Halsey (@TheOneTrueDoug) August 7, 2023
Rescue personnel worked to free those trapped in their cars in Westminster on Monday night, with over 30 poles knocked over. The trapped individuals, including John Hockman and his wife, were unable to move from their cars as there were powerlines wrapped around them.
Here is a short video of a tornado that hit the West Leyden and Turin, NY area this evening. You can see the debris being thrown in the air. No official NWS survey has been done yet on this storm, but one will likely happen tomorrow.
Video from Erica Sawyer. #NYwx #NNYwx pic.twitter.com/U03CdONbIv
— Kris Hudson (@KrisHudson_WX) August 8, 2023
James DeWees, the Carroll County sheriff, warned those near the area to not “come here and do anything stupid,” and said that emergency crews were working to get those stuck in their cars to safety. Those stuck in the cars were eventually bussed to a local school.
During the incident, BGE’s (Baltimore Gas and Electric) spokesman Nick Alexopulos expressed that the damage from the storm was “catastrophic” and that “if you worked in electric distribution at BGE for your entire career, you may see it once.”
Overall, the storm caused significant damage not just in Maryland, but in other parts of the Eastern Seaboard. Tornado warnings had been placed in the area, but it is unspecified whether it was the lashing winds or a tornado that caused the power poles and lines to reach the ground.
Our crews are working safely and as quickly as possible to get the lights back on. High winds, hail, and heavy rain caused numerous uprooted trees and downed power lines. Thank you for your patience. pic.twitter.com/ija0SIXkJo
— Georgia Power (@GeorgiaPower) August 8, 2023
The storm affected states as far as New York and caused hundreds of flights to be cancelled or delayed. Those in Westminster were successfully bussed to safety. And while the damage is still being assessed, BGE’s Alexopulos calls it “catastrophic.” It is not known at this time how long it will take to fix the damages caused by this powerful storm.
The FAA is re-routing aircraft around the storms heading to the East Coast as much as possible. Soon we will likely have to pause departures in and out of East Coast airports including NYC, Philly, DC, Charlotte and Atlanta. Monitor https://t.co/ltA3DmcHcd. #FAAWeatherSquad pic.twitter.com/yk8f1tqBty
— The FAA ✈️ (@FAANews) August 7, 2023
