BETHESDA STORM UPDATE: HOW TO GET RID OF STORM DEBRIS, POWER OUTAGES CONTINUE

WEATHER NEWS

I'm not going to insult your intelligence like the TV news - "It's hot! It's 100 degrees!" Duh!

But it will feel like 115 degrees Saturday, so be prepared.  New thunderstorms are forecast to hit Bethesda on Sunday and/or Monday.

Montgomery County still has a cooling center open at Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville for those without power.

POWER OUTAGES

Up to 14,000 county residents remain without power a full week after the storm hit.  To top it off, some have even lost power once it was restored.

Chef Tony's and Jiffy Shoppes both suffered partial or complete power outages on St. Elmo Avenue Thursday.

MONTGOMERY COUNTY TREE DEBRIS

What do you do with all of those branches, limbs and chunks of wood littering your yard?

A) Build a log cabin

B) Start a firewood company

C) Gather them up, and place them "in the county right of way" if you live on a county-maintained road, before July 11.

The answer is C.

Starting July 11, county crews will begin picking up the curbside debris.

The county says not to place debris in any spot that blocks a road, driveway or sidewalk; generally speaking, it should be right at the edge of your lawn by the gutter/edge of the street.

Debris not ready for pickup July 11 can still be bundled by you, or your yard service, for regular yard debris pickups on trash days.

BETHESDA STORM UPDATE - POWER OUTAGES, COOLING CENTERS

Heat Alert! Storm Alert!

There is a chance of storms today, the temperature will be high (what a shock!) and many are still without power.

For those reasons, the Bethesda Library on Arlington Road will be opened as a cooling center (and as a library, of course: books, internet, etc.) from noon until 8 PM tonight.

You'll be a short walk from the barbecue on Bethesda Lane in front of Redwood between 12 and 6 PM, if you'd like a burger or hot dog.

New Power Outages

Last night's storm caused an additional 11,000 outages.

Old Power Outages

Kenwood (the neighborhood, not the club!) was without power as of 11:00 PM last night.

Power Restorations

Pepco made some progress in the hard-hit 20816 and 20817 zip codes.  Residents near Fernwood and Greentree Roads reported having power by mid-evening last night.

Gas stations on River Road reopened, but 7-11 appeared to remain closed.

Power was restored for the first time in the Springfield neighborhood off River Road.

Stay tuned to @BethesdaRow on Twitter and this blog for the latest news!

MONTGOMERY COUNTY COOLING CENTERS - BETHESDA STORM UPDATE

For the many without power and AC:

3 cooling centers are open in Montgomery County:

Richard Montgomery High School in Rockville

Clarksburg High School in Clarksburg

White Oak Recreation Center in White Oak

*Bring any prescription medications you need with you*

RIVER ROAD DETOUR

Much traffic, including T2 Metrobuses is being diverted from a stretch of River Road just north of the Ridgefield Road-Little Falls Parkway commercial strip onto parallel Ridgefield Road.  Ridgefield Road is a 2  lane road through a residential neighborhood.  With speed bumps!  Slow going.  Avoid, avoid, avoid!

BETHESDA LIBRARY on Arlington Road is open to the public as a limited hours cooling center.  The county has not specified the hours.

MORE STORMS APPROACHING!

Monitor weather channels and @BethesdaRow on Twitter for the latest!

KILLER STORM ROCKS BETHESDA, MASSIVE POWER OUTAGES TEST PEPCO IMPROVEMENTS

A powerful thunderstorm system blasted Bethesda Friday night, knocking out power throughout town, and leaving a massive mess in its wake.

73% of residents had no power Friday night.  An urgent public health emergency looms today, with temperatures forecast as feeling like 115 degrees, and A/C-deprived Pepco customers being told power will be out for several days.

It is unclear at this hour just what locations in Bethesda do have power, in terms of what sites can be opened as cooling stations today.

Trees are down from Bethesda Row to the Potomac River.  Massive power outages were reported by residents in neighborhoods off of major highways like River Road and Old Georgetown Road.  One resident near Goldsboro Road reported hearing repeated blasts of a truck air horn over an hour-long period during the night.  I have no idea what that could have been, but would assume it was something serious to make that much noise at night.  If anyone knows what that was related to, let me know, and I'll pass that information on.

Pepco is now facing its first real test of its  2-year-long service improvements.  Bethesda residents reported that outage hotlines were down around 11 PM last night.  Today the area will find out if Pepco has the crews from outside DC to respond to one of the biggest outages in history.  If Pepco rises to the challenge, it could greatly improve public opinion of the utility.

Downtown Bethesda outages left late night partiers without post-nightclub eats.  Both Bold Bite and Jiffy Shoppes were forced to close.  Redwood's Bethesda Lane patio was lashed by hurricane force winds.

In fact, an 80 MPH wind shear was recorded in Bethesda at the height of the storm.  The freight train sounds I heard confirm that.  I was sure a tornado would spawn at any moment, but the damage suggests that circular wind patterns did occur.  Leaves carpet streets, and tree companies will be busy for weeks.  The full extent of the damage will be known once the sun rises this morning.

If you have difficulty reaching Pepco, try their Twitter at @PepcoConnect.

Monitor radio for announcements of cooling centers if you have no AC.

Be advised that more storms are expected today and Sunday.

Stay tuned for more details on one of the Top 5 most violent storms to hit Bethesda in the last 50 years.  Follow me on Twitter @BethesdaRow for more breaking weather news.

Stay cool, Bethesda!