Hurricane update: Sandy hits Maryland
Thousands of residents are without power Monday morning in Maryland and that number is expected to grow as Hurricane Sandy dubbed Frankenstorm continues to wreck havoc on the East Coast.
The storm with winds as high as 85 miles per hour is expected to impact nearly 60 million people across the East Coast. In Maryland it already significantly damaged a large fishing pier at a beach resort in Ocean City. The pier is located at the southern end of the Boardwalk. That area has been under a mandatory evacuation order.
Gov. Martin O’Malley said the pier is “half gone.”
Public transportation has been shut down. No Marc, no buses, and O’Malley implored for drivers to stay off the road. Even reporters covering the storm have had to seek shelter after being pelted by strong winds recorded at 75 miles per hour and getting stronger.
Authorities said water levels could rise to 11 feet above normal high tide, which could cause unprecedented damage.
Baltimore has opened up six shelters, and shut down several intersections because of expected flooding. Early voting was canceled for Monday. It’s not clear how that could impact statewide and national races at this point.
Baltimore Gas & Electric restored power to more than 4,700 customers but thousands are losing power as the storm continues to slam into the state. Pepco also reported thousands without power in Washington, Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.
Stay tuned.
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