Despite power outages, severe thunderstorms largely spare campus

Sunday afternoon's violent thunderstorms knocked out power in the South Campus Commons and University Courtyards, and fire alarms forced some Commons residents to evacuate into the rain, but university officials said the campus largely avoided weather-related damage and disruptions.

Widespread power outages and road closures hit the Washington region, and a part-time university employee died Sunday on Rhode Island Avenue in northern College Park when a tree fell on her minivan.

The storm front moved through College Park at about 3:30 p.m. and almost immediately cut power to the apartment buildings. Residents said fire alarms sounded in Commons 5 and 6 when the electricity went off — both false alarms.

Mark Brady, the chief spokesperson for the Prince George's County Fire Department, said the two false alarms were weather related and were most likely triggered by power fluctuations that occurred due to the strong storms. Power was restored within two hours.

There was also an actual fire in Commons 3 earlier Sunday, well before the storm, when an elevator belt ignited at about 2:30 a.m., University Police spokesman Paul Dillon said.

A resident assistant noticed smoke coming from an elevator shaft and called the fire department, Dillon said. The building was evacuated, but the small fire had already extinguished itself by the time firefighters arrived, Dillon said.

Dillon said the only damage from the fire was the rubber elevator belt itself, valued at $100, but resident Jessica Nooralian said they were stranded outside for 15 minutes in the middle of the night waiting for fire officials to OK the building.

Nooralian, a recent graduate, said she was asleep when the alarm went off. Because she's used to false alarms, she said, she was surprised — though not concerned — when she smelled smoke in the hallways as she left the building.

"I was no more upset than usual," Nooralian said. "At the time it was just really annoying."

Nooralian added that the elevator was fixed Monday.

No fire alarms sounded at Courtyards, but a resident who wished to be anonymous because he also works as a community assistant there, said the apartments also lost power at 3:30 p.m Sunday and it didn't return until 6 a.m. Monday. The power then went out again at 1 p.m. Monday before it was restored for good Monday night, he said.

"We're, like, so dependent on power," he said. "A lot of people just went off campus [since] you can't do anything but sit in the dark."

While other on-campus buildings kept their electricity throughout Sunday's storm, several satellite university facilities — the Veterinary Science Building and the Maryland 4-H Foundation building — did lose power, according to Jack Baker, the university's director of operations and maintenance.

Other storm related damage from tree branches and other debris was minimal.

"[Our] campus was very fortunate," Baker said.

The university employee — Michelle Humanick, 44 — was killed on Rhode Island Avenue in northern College Park after the storm toppled a tree onto her Honda Odyssey, according to The Washington Post.

mccarty at umdbk dot com