Along with much of the east coast, Greenbelt was pummeled by a major windstorm over the past weekend. The storm, a nor’easter, blew tropical storm force winds gusting up to 65 miles per hour according to the Washington Post meteorological team, the Capital Weather Gang. Widespread power outages were reported across the region. As of 9:30 p.m. Friday according to the Pepco website, 17 Greenbelt homes had lost power. Because of power issues caused by the storm, the Old Greenbelt Theatre cancelled its Friday afternoon movie and the Greenbelt Arts Center postponed the opening night of its current production. According to Police Public Information Liaison George Mathews, Greenbelt police were kept extremely busy all day managing traffic control issues, especially along the Greenbelt Road corridor, due to traffic signals not working because of storm-related electricity problems. Parks Superintendant Brian Townsend said that his team started their work before the storm even arrived. On Thursday, Public Works crews staged equipment they would likely need to handle any damage wrought by the storm. On Friday, while responding to requests for help dealing with fallen trees and large, dangerous branches, crews also cruised around Greenbelt, proactively watching for potential issues needing attention. Townsend said that as of Monday, 23 trees on city property had been blown over by the high winds. Crews worked late Friday and all day Saturday, cleaning up tree debris. For more on this story, click here.
Greenbelt Weathers Nor’easter: Officials Respond Effectively
Newspaper boxes blown over by the nor'easter that hit Greenbelt on Friday, March 2. Photo by Gary Childs