Maryland monitoring power grid as people dig out of snow, brace for dangerous cold

As the cold digs in, many are busy digging out across Maryland from the biggest winter storm in a decade. 

Cleaning up 

In Baltimore, some side streets had not been touched as of Monday afternoon.

In North Baltimore, the street next to Jim Freaney's home was impassable, like several others in the city. 

"We don't get touched much until later every time we've had a big storm," Freaney said. "It'd be real nice to get our street plowed, the sooner the better."

Still, he was taking it all in stride, along with his son who declared the snow day was better than being at school as they left to go sledding nearby. 

WJZ also caught up with a contracted crew on Roland Avenue, busy shoveling sidewalks. 

"We just make sure the tenants are safe when they come out. We manage about 300 units, and we just ride around and take care of properties," said Charles Locke, with Cal Construction. "It's challenging because it has a layer of ice on it, but it has to be done."

Locke and his team estimated they will spend 12 to 14 hours clearing the snow Monday alone.

"It's cold, but it's not too bad unless you touch the snow with your hands and stuff. Just layer up…it's all fun," said Neko Denson as he shoveled.

During the storm, WJZ saw several buses stuck in the ice at Caroline and Fleet Streets that had to be towed using specialized equipment. 

Maryland State Police reported almost 1,400 calls for service and 84 crashes during the storm. 

Road conditions 

The storm and cold touched every part of the state.

Most highways close to Baltimore were down to bare pavement Monday, but some Western Maryland roadways were still covered in snow. 

Charlie Gischlar with the State Highway Administration said the cold temperatures are now the biggest challenge. 

"These roads may look clear," Gischlar said. "They may just look wet, but with these kinds of temperatures both on the pavement and in the air, anything that's wet out there is going to freeze. That's why we have to continuously be in operation in our 12-hour shifts with the salting and the liquid magnesium because it's so cold."

He noted SHA has special sensors embedded in the pavement that can tell the type of precipitation and the temperature. 

You can monitor real-time road conditions here.

In Baltimore City, you can report covered sidewalks and streets using 311.

Around the state 

In Anne Arundel County, first responders rescued a chocolate lab stuck in a frozen creek using specialized equipment.

In Harford County, crews rescued four cows, a bull and a horse after a barn collapsed.

And in Howard County, 60 firefighters worked for more than an hour in the freezing cold to bring a fire under control Monday. 

The Maryland National Guard has deployed 200 soldiers and 75 vehicles to assist wherever they are needed. 

"On the Eastern Shore, we're looking at the cold and helping with the unhoused population," said Maj. Gen. Janeen Birckhead. "In Western Maryland, they've got it covered, but we were there to make sure that they got their roads cleared, and in Central Maryland, we are focusing on fires and assisting fire/EMS responders in Baltimore."

Gov. Wes Moore's message 

Speaking with WJZ on Monday, Maryland Gov. Wes Moore warned while the snow and sleet have stopped falling, and cold temperatures remain a danger. 

Twenty-six people have died from the cold this winter season according to the Maryland Department of Health, with 11 of those deaths in Baltimore City and Baltimore County.  

"We're grateful that we've had no casualties, no serious injuries, no power outages, but we are still not out of the woods yet," Moore said. "The temperature is continuing to drop and will stay like that for a while, so there are still some real dangers that we want to make sure people are prepared for and people are still heeding the advice that we're giving." 

The governor said the state is closely monitoring the strain on the power grid from frigid temperatures. 

"We want you to be comfortable," Moore said. "We want you to be warm but also think about how much energy you are using. We want to make sure we are not putting too much pressure on the grid."

You can monitor BGE outages here.

This is the Delmarva Power outage map here.