Hurricane Irene Litters Columbia With Debris

Columbia was a sea of broken tree branches and debris this morning, evidence of the damage done by Hurricane Irene last night.

Many of the roads surrounding the and the nearby villages were covered in leaves, fallen branches and in some cases, large trees that came down during the high winds that struck early this morning and last night. While much of the damage was not sustained until around midnight storm, some Columbia residents remained inside yesterday during the rain.

“We gathered at a neighbor's house, let the kids play and we all drank Hurricanes,” said April Valdesuso, a Clarksville resident, who only lost power for around three minutes.  “Lots of people around here are without power. I think we got lucky.”

Some of those living around Great Star Drive in River Hill were not as fortunate. Rachel Devadas, who lives in a development off Great Star, said her home lost power around midnight and did not gain it back until around 11 a.m. this morning.

“I played Scrabble with my mom and sister and we ate ice cream cake for breakfast,” Devadas said. “The worst part of the storm was probably when we were sleeping.”

Donna Elliott, who also lives in River Hill, said her home lost power last night as well but that yesterday she wasn’t deterred by the storm to stay in.

“I went for my morning run, I got a haircut and went about my business,” Elliott said.

Marcie Cissell, another Clarksville resident, also said she did not mind going out in yesterday’s rain.

“It wasn’t as bad for our area,” Cissell said. “For Ocean City maybe the storm lived up to its reputation.”

Area businesses were also affected by the storm. Street lights were out earlier this morning and some of the village centers remained dark.

Sonu Mirchandani, owner of the Subway in the River Hill Village Center, said he kept the restaurant open yesterday but is now facing a power outage.

“Today is a bit of a disaster,” Mirchandani said. “The store has no electricity so we are trying to get to BGE to find out when the recovery will be.”

Susan Robbins, of Ellicott City, said she heeded the warnings on the news and tried to prepare for the storm by buying supplies.

“I had picked up supplies the day before, and spent most of yesterday gathering the flashlights, batteries, water and non perishable items and placing them on the island in our kitchen,” Robbins said.  “My husband and I brought in all of the outdoor furniture, did laundry, filled bathtubs and prepared ice chests to house perishables in the event we lost power.”

The storm caused some 33,000 to 35,000 power outages in Howard County, but the area was relatively spared from the predicted flooding and widespread damages.

Snow plows could be seen around 6:30 a.m. clearing roads of debris, but some damage has yet to be addressed: a large tree fell by the pedestrian bridge over Harper’s Farm Road and is now surrounded by yellow caution tape, waiting to be cleared.