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County reports progress on storm recovery: roads clearing, power restoration and debris plans underway
Summary
St. Mary's County officials updated commissioners on post-storm recovery: major roads largely cleared, power restored to many homes, insurance help lines set up and debris pickup planned once road clearance is complete.
County emergency and public works staff told commissioners on Aug. 30 that crews were continuing post-hurricane recovery work, with the immediate priorities being road clearance, power restoration and then household debris cleanup.
"The main roads are clear now, and we got power restored to, well more than half of the families that were without power during the height of the storm," said Mr. Savage, county emergency operations staff, who briefed the board after an earlier site visit to Whiskey Creek. Savage said crews were working to clear secondary roads and to restore second lanes where only one lane remained open.
Staff said power companies and communications firms — SMECO, Pike and Clearwater Communications were mentioned in the meeting — were working extended hours to restore service. Commissioners were told county public information channels and a hotline would publish recovery resources: the county main number was given as 301-475-4200 (press 0 for operator). County staff said an insurance commissioner's property and casualty office would be open from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily to answer citizen questions.
Debris pickup and next steps County staff said they will begin organized curbside debris collection after roads are cleared enough to support collection vehicles. "We will be getting crews around to start picking up debris as soon as we've got all the roads clear that need to be clear," Mr. Savage said; he added that some roads remained single-lane and that crews were working to open a second lane.
Why it matters The update described operational priorities and provided contacts and timing guidance for residents recovering from the storm. Commissioners emphasized patience and neighbor-to-neighbor assistance while restoration and organized cleanup continue.
Ending County leaders said more detailed resource lists would be posted to the county website and broadcast via local channels and that staff would continue to coordinate with power and road crews until cleanup and restoration work can be completed.
