October 2012 - Parks & Recreation - 26

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EMERGENCY PLANNING

Five Lessons Learned from the Derecho
Recovering from a severe storm with no warning
BY MIKE RILEY

O

N A MUGGY DAY at the end of June 2012, heading into the July 4th

holiday weekend, the offices of Montgomery Parks Silver Spring Parkside headquarters in Montgomery County, Maryland, were emptying
out. Staff was gearing up for weekend getaways, picnics, and some much-needed
down time. And then a derecho, a widespread, long-lived, straight-line windstorm
that is associated with a fast-moving band of severe thunderstorms, rolled in.
With warm, forceful winds gusting
between 60 and 80 miles per hour, this
storm-like none other the Washington,
D.C., region has ever experienced-hit
with a sudden wave of destruction. It
knocked out power to more than one
million electricity users. Five hundred
of some 800 traffic signals in the county went dark. Hundreds of trees came
down on power lines, cars, rooftops,
and more. Damage across Montgomery Parks' 416 parks, spanning 35,000

acres of parkland, was extensive.
Trees were strewn (more than
200 lost and many more damaged)
throughout our system, one crushing
the roof of an event venue reserved for
a wedding that evening. Ice at our skating rinks was melted. Trails throughout our system were devastated, many
inaccessible for days and even weeks.
Picnic shelters were destroyed.
While we had an emergency action
plan ready, we found ourselves facing

a unique situation with the derecho.
In addition to the extensive damage
caused by the storm, the region was
struck with a severe heat advisory that
continued for four days after the storm
moved out. Temperatures soared above
100 degrees. Power crews were not prepared for the extent of the circumstances. It took 10 days before all residents
in the county had electricity restored.
The storm is now a little more than
three months behind us, and while
clean-ups are still underway and may
continue through the end of the year
at some locations, much of the severe
damage and destruction has been taken care of thanks to the unparalleled
dedication of our staff, who have put in
more than 10,000 work hours (to date)

M-NCPPC MONTGOMERY PARKS

Woodlawn Manor in
Sandy Spring, Maryland,
after the June derecho.
Opposite page:
Storm scenes from
other Montgomery
County, Maryland,
parks.

24

Parks & Recreation

| OCTOBER 2012 | WWW.NRPA.ORG



October 2012 - Parks & Recreation

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