A rare microburst in Prince George’s County Friday night displaced hundreds of residents and left thousands without power.
The microburst — a small, intense downdraft that can cause winds of more than 100 miles per hour and is similar to a tornado — hit Bladensburg around 8:07 p.m., county Homeland Security officials confirmed Saturday. These types of storms typically last between five and 15 minutes.
The storm initially displaced between 300 and 600 residents, most of whom live in 15 garden-style apartment buildings. The storm also damaged a single-family house, as well as numerous cars, trees and other structures. County officials said they are unaware of any damage to businesses.
County firefighters responded to over 235 calls in the four hours during and after the storm, according to county Fire and Emergency Medical Services officials. Two people were taken to local hospitals for minor injuries and are in good condition.
Officials are not aware of anyone who was seriously injured. County spokesman Scott Peterson attributed this to the use of social media and the county’s text alert system to get the word out quickly about the presence of severe storms in the area.
Because the storm occurred in a small area, most of the residential damage occurred in two square blocks, according to Peterson. Debris-related damage spread a little wider, occurring in roughly eight square blocks, he said.
The severity of the damage is still being assessed, and the buildings that suffered damage remain condemned for now.
Many of the displaced residents initially took shelter at the Roger Heights Elementary School, which was opened as an evacuation center. They, and any new evacuees, later went to Bladensburg High School. County government agencies were also working with the American Red Cross to provide services to those who were displaced.
Thousands more residents in Prince George’s and Montgomery counties and the District lost power. At the worst points of the storm, 30,000 Prince George’s County residents were without electricity, Peterson said. While the roughly 500 Montgomery County residents still without electricity Saturday evening will likely have it restored by Sunday morning, Pepco spokesman Bob Hainey said, most of the more than 3,600 D.C. residents and more than 6,200 Prince George’s residents without power will have to wait until late Sunday night or early Monday morning for electrical service to resume. And some residents in the worst-hit areas won’t get power back until Monday afternoon.
County residents will also have to contend with closed roads until debris removal begins on Monday. The county has closed Route 202 between 57th and 55th avenues, 57th Avenue between Route 202 and 55th Avenue, Monroe Street between Route 202 and 57th Avenue, and Newton Street between 52nd and 57th avenues.
Though the county has had microbursts in the past, “for several years, we haven’t had anything of this magnitude,” Peterson said. “This is very serious, significant damage, but we’re very fortunate not to have any significant injuries.”
