Tornado

hits College Park

By: Jessica Thompson
April 17, 2017 9:00 a.m.

COLLEGE PARK, Md. Around 8:30 a.m. a tornado touched down in College Park,
specifically between Route 1 and Knox Road.

There is no current count of how many individuals have been injured. Mayor Lara
Hollenczer confirmed that there have been three 911 calls so far, but there is no
information on the nature of the calls.

Those who are potentially injured will be taken to Prince Georges Hospital Center.
As of now Prince Georges Hospital Center is currently aiding two dozen people.

If necessary Holy Cross Hospital and MedStar Washington Hospital Center will also
begin to admit those who are injured.

Those who are seeking shelter and are not indoors should go the Cole Student
Center on the University of Maryland campus.

This is a significant tornado and has already caused severe damage to property in
College Park.

Broken windows can be seen around College Park as well as numerous power lines
on the ground. Half of the College Park community is without electricity.

What we have right now is backup generators, but were worried more people will
lose power. Storms wreck havoc, said Mayor Hollenczer.

Officials are trying to evacuate the area, but there have been difficulties with
evacuating South Campus, which is due to the down power lines.

Several firefighters and two trucks are trapped in the Mowatt garage on South
Campus. The garage has begun to cave in on itself and the firefighters are unable to
exit the garage at this time.

So far Ritchie Coliseum is the only reported building with a large amount of damage.
Ritchie Coliseum is several blocks away from Knox Road, which means there is
additional damage further away from the initial touchdown of the tornado. It cannot
be confirmed at this time if these are the only places that have been damaged.

No one has been able to get in contact with the University of Maryland President
Wallace Loh. However, Governor Hogan has agreed to issue a state of emergency for
Prince Georges County.

-MORE-
Additional resources will be sent in from Montgomery County, Anne Arundel
County, and the District of Columbia.

The National Weather Service rates this tornado as an EF3 on the F-scale, which
ranges from EF0 to EF5.

The last tornado to happen in College Park occurred in 2012. There were two dozen
deaths reported as well as several millions of dollars in damage. Mayor Hollenczer
said that the current situation is comparable to the tornado in 2012.

At this point we want everyone to stay off the street, call 911, and be patient with
emergency workers. This is a fluid situation and is changing at all times said Mayor
Hollenczer.

Thunderstorms are still approaching the area, which means there could be another
tornado and the situation is still potentially dangerous.

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