08 August 2023 , 21:04
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Wild footage has emerged showing drivers narrowly avoiding disaster as they navigated around more than 30 utility poles that were knocked down during the storm.
Communities across the eastern United States were clearing away downed trees and power lines Tuesday after severe storms killed at least two people, damaged houses, cut electricity to more than 1.1 million homes and businesses, and cancelled or delayed thousands of flights.
As the storm raged on, utility poles lining several streets in Westminster, Maryland, were taken out by the force of the elements, crashing onto roadways and narrowly missing cars, footage shows. Dozens of vehicles were trapped amid a string of power lines that fell like dominoes onto a highway.
Videos captured show drivers skillfully swerving and braking to avoid disaster (Allie Cheatham /Facebook)A spokesperson for Maryland’s largest power utility, BGE, called the destruction “catastrophic.” They said: “This is damage that if you worked in electric distribution at BGE for your entire career, you may see it once."
No injuries were reported. Utility crews turned off the electricity to the power lines, and the 33 adults and 14 children in the vehicles were able to get out safety, Maryland State Police Superintendent Col. Roland Butler said at a news conference Tuesday.
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First responders and others worked as a team and saved lives Monday night, Gov. Wes Moore said. “There were people who were stuck and stranded in cars who were able to sleep in their own beds last night,” the governor said.
More than 1.1 million customers were without power Monday evening across Alabama, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, West Virginia and Virginia, according to poweroutage.us.
By mid-afternoon Tuesday, the number of customers without power had dropped to about 200,000 in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Maryland, Georgia and Tennessee.
Damage was extensive across the Knoxville Utilities Board’s service area, and while power was restored to many customers, thousands were still without on Tuesday morning. Board spokesperson Gerald Witt said: “We’ve made substantial progress. But there’s still widespread and severe damage that remains and work is expected to take multiple days.”
Eyewitnesses reported chaotic scenes as drivers found themselves confronted with the sudden obstacle (Poohnece/Twitter)The storms spawned tornado watches and warnings in 10 states from Tennessee to New York with more than 29.5 million people under a tornado watch Monday afternoon.
A preliminary assessment of damage in Knoxville, Tennessee, found that an EF-2 tornado touched down with winds up to 130 mph (209 kph) and a path as wide as 200 yards (meters), the National Weather Service office in Morristown, Tennessee, announced Tuesday. The office said it will continue to assess the damage across the area.
In Anderson, South Carolina, a large tree was uprooted and fell on a 15-year-old boy who arrived at his grandparent’s house during the storm Monday, according to the Anderson County Office of the Coroner. The high school sophomore’s death was ruled accidental and classified as a death resulting from a severe weather event, officials said.
In Florence, Alabama, a 28-year-old worker in the parking lot of an industrial park was struck by lightning and died from his injuries received during the storm Monday, police said in a social media post.