Hurricane Sandy Alerts, Montgomery County, Maryland

Hurricane Sandy Alerts, Montgomery County, Maryland

Shelters: 

Beginning at noon on Monday, Montgomery County will open shelters at  the following locations: White Oak Community Recreation Center, people and pets, at 1700 April La. Silver Spring; the Activity Center at Bohrer Park for people only, at 506 S. Frederick Ave., Gaithersburg; and the Mid- County Community Recreation Center for people only, 2004 Queensguard Rd., Silver Spring. 

Those going to shelters are advised to bring prescription medicines, critical phone numbers, and any comfort items such as personal pillows. Residents taking their pets to the White Oak shelter are advised that the shelter will be capable of housing dogs, cats, and small animals such as guinea pigs and rabbits. The shelter will be staffed by the County Animal Services Division and the volunteer County Animal Response Team (CART).  

The homeless shelters --Gude Men's, 600 E. Gude Dr., Rockville; Progress Place, 8210 Colonial La., Silver Spring; and Wilkins Avenue Women's Shelter, 12250 Wilkins Ave., Rockville -- are all prepared to serve those who arrive.  

County Parking Lots and Garages: 

Montgomery County parking lots and garages will operate under normal rules. 

Reporting Power Outages: 

Residents should report any power outages directly to their local power company: 

·PEPCO, call 1-877-737-2662 or go to the PEPCO website http://www.pepco.com/home 

·Baltimore Gas and Electric, call 1-877-778-2222 or go to the BG&E website http://www.bge.com/portal/site/bge 

·Allegheny Power, call 1-800-255-3443 or go to the Allegheny Power website http://www.alleghenypower.com 

Drive with caution: 

Drive with caution. Avoid areas subject to flooding, including low spots, canals and streams. Do not attempt to drive on a flooded road, which could lead to becoming stranded or trapped because the depth of the water and the condition of the road is not always obvious.  Be especially cautious at night when it is harder to recognize flood dangers, downed wires and other hazards. 

Reporting Downed Trees: 

For downed trees on public property, Montgomery County residents should call -3-1-1 starting at 6 a.m. on October 29 or 240-777-0311 from outside the county or from a cell phone, or file a report at www.MC311.com.  If live wires are involved, the tree is blocking a roadway, the tree is on a structure or if anyone is trapped under a fallen tree, call 9-1-1. 

General Reminders: 

Use extreme caution when cleaning up storm damage on your property. Downed or damaged power lines can send electrical currents through tree branches and metal fences, so survey the area carefully - especially if you'll be using a pruning pole, ax or chainsaw. 

Have your emergency supplies conveniently located (create an emergency kit), non-perishable food ready (don't forget baby food and pet food if needed) and make extra ice stored in plastic bags to use in a cooler 

Keep up to date with local weather conditions by TV, radio, or website 

Check on friends, neighbors and family especially our vulnerable population, to ensure they are prepared 

Have an effective communication plan – text messaging can often get around network disruptions when a phone call can't get through.

Posted on ActiveRain as a community service.  Character counts in Gaithersburg.

Glass Vessels, VMFA, Chihuly Exhibit IMG_7770

Photograph by Dolores Kelley using a Canon PowerShot S90 camera.

Roy and Dolores Kelley Photographs