More Than 830,000 Lose Power In Mid-Atlantic

OCEAN CITY, Md. (AP) -- More than 830,000 people were without power in the Mid-Atlantic region Sunday and one person died in Maryland as Hurricane Irene moved north.

Crews prepared early Sunday for a long day as they geared up to assess and repair damage from the storm's high winds and heavy rains. There were flooded streets and trees down on roads, houses and rail lines. Along the beaches, the storm breached dunes in Sussex County, Del.

Delaware Gov. Jack Markell said the worst was over, but he urged people to remain where they were if they had evacuated.

"I know people will want to get home, but the roads are not drivable," he said. "There's a good chance they won't be able to get where they're going."

In Ocean City, where the eye of the storm passed within 50 miles in the early morning hours, no injuries were reported.

There was localized flooding after 12 inches of rain and sustained winds that reached 60 mph. The top recorded wind speed was an 80 mph gust.

Charlie Koetzle, 55, a resident of Ocean City for the last decade who stayed through the storm, said the city seemed to
weather it well. He was up at 4 a.m., walking on the city's boardwalk, and said by phone that he saw at least one sign that had been blown down but that the pier was still intact.

"The beach is still here, and there is lots of it," he said.

He said he never lost power and the only reason he didn't see past the second quarter in the New England Patriots game versus the Detroit Lions was that he fell asleep.

"I don't think it was as bad as they said it was going to be," he said.

Town officials said they planned to reopen the popular resort community as soon as possible.

Ocean City's wastewater plant, which was shut down as the storm approached, was in the process of being put back into service.

In Queen Anne's County, a woman was killed when a tree fell on a house and caused the chimney to collapse. Another person in the house was not hurt.

A tornado struck homes in Lewes, Del. Another touched down in a wooded area of Wicomico County. No injuries were reported.

Transportation services were starting to return to normal, with the Maryland Transit Administration restarting bus, light rail and subway service in the Baltimore area. Trees on the light-rail line meant buses were carrying passengers between two points. In the Washington area, Metro bus and subway service were not affected by the storm. Both agencies said that passengers should expect delays as buses detoured around any trees, power lines or water on roads.

The Harry W. Nice Memorial Bridge, which links southern Maryland to the Northern Neck area of Virginia, reopened Sunday morning after being closed because of high winds. However, the Chesapeake Bay Bridge remained closed.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)