On Thursday morning, Mayor Gavin Buckley met with Governor Larry Hogan to tour the devastation from the Wednesday afternoon tornado that touched down in the Parole community in Annapolis. The group toured local business Annapolis International Market in the 1900 block of West Street. The structure no longer had a roof on parts of the building. They also visited with residents and walked several blocks of Parole Street to view the damage to homes. The Governor promised to assist Annapolis.
Joining them on the tour was Alderwoman Rhonda Pindell Charles, whose ward suffered the most serious impact, County Executive Steuart Pittman, State Senator Sarah Elfreth, Delegate Shaneka Henson and Delegate Dana Jones.
Mayor Buckley signed a State of Emergency early in the day on Thursday.
BGE is reporting 959 Annapolis customers without power.
The City of Annapolis hopes to reopen West Street in the 1900 block by 2 p.m. on Thursday.
The City of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County are working together to set up a Community Resource Center to assist residents. The center will be one-stop shopping for residents and businesses affected by the storm. The Center will be open at the Mount Olive Community Life Center, 2 Hicks Avenue,starting at 2 p.m. on Thursday. It will be open Thursday evening until 8 p.m. The Center will continue to offer services in the coming days. Hours and a complete list of resources will be posted on the City website: www.Annapolis.gov.
As of noon on Thursday, resources and information will be available from City, County and State agencies as well as non-profit partners. Participating agencies include:
City of Annapolis
Mayor’s Office and the Take Care Team
Planning and Zoning
Public Works
Office of Emergency Management
Office of Community Services
Office of Economic Development
Anne Arundel County
Crisis Response Team
Department of Aging
State of Maryland
Department of Social Services
Office of Emergency Management
Red Cross
Center of Help
Salvation Army
Arundel Lodge
REMINDER ON HIRING CONTRACTORS: Residents are reminded to hire only licensed contractors to complete repair or cleanup work (such as tree removal). Each licensed contractor should provide a license identification number (MHIC) that can be searched in the Department of Labor, Licensing and Regulation (DLLR) website here: https://www.dllr.state.md.us/pq/, or call 1-888-218-5925 (toll free). Using licensed contractors provides you the backing of the State of Maryland so that you are not the victim of scammers who often prey on victims after natural disasters. Protect yourself and your bank account. If it sounds too good to be true? It probably is.
Update on Structural Damage: Department of Planning and Zoning building inspectors have determined there are 38 people displaced with 3 buildings destroyed, 24 condemned buildings, 26 structures with major damage, and 49 buildings with minor damage. Those numbers are expected to rise as inspectors continue their work on Thursday.
