Bowie Shaken After Possible Tornado Uproots Trees & Knocks Out Power
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- A severe storm Tuesday afternoon left uprooted trees, downed powerlines, power outages, and damaged homes in its wake in Bowie.
The storm spawned tornado warnings for Prince George's and Anne Arundel County, and the National Weather Service said Bowie could have been hit around 5:30 p.m. by a tornado.
Miraculously, no injuries have been reported.
Tracy was with her 91-year-old father when the storm came, ripping a tree down in their back yard and cutting power across the neighborhood. They sheltered in a bedroom, and a power generator makes it possible for her father to stay there.
"He wants to be here in his own home and he can do that because he has the generator," Tracy said.
A tree fell through James Martinez' roof and through his bedroom. Luckily, he was in the kitchen, and braced against a doorway when he said he saw "things coming up from the ground.
Martinez said the experience was "twenty seconds of just that loud rumbling where you can hear that whole house shaking from the wind."
The city said the damage is in the Buckingham and Somerset communities.
To assist in recovery efforts, the city asks that residents:
• Report power outages to BGE at 1-800-685-0123 or text OUT to 69243.
• Practice generator safety - If your power is out, keep your generator dry and never
operate a generator indoors. Place your generators at least 20 ft away from your home.
• Stay away from downed power lines - a downed wire could be a very dangerous live
wire. Report downed powerlines to 877-778-2222.
• Report damage to your home or downed trees to the Bowie Emergency Call Center at
1-240-544-5700.
Crews have been out working to clear blocked roads, and will begin work on removal starting tomorrow, the city said.
