High winds and rain lash the region High winds and rain lash region

By Richard Irwin | Sun reporter Storms hit the Baltimore area with a one-two punch yesterday afternoon and evening, pummeling the area with heavy rain and high winds about 4 p.m., then following up with a second downpour about five hours later. About 9 p.m., water entered the Baltimore Washington Medical Center emergency room through a leak in the roof, causing minor flooding, said Capt. Harry Steiner, an Anne Arundel County Fire Department spokesman. The building also lost electrical power, but generators kept patients' ventilators and monitors running, said Allison Eatough, a hospital spokeswoman. Patients were not evacuated, but ambulances were rerouted, she said. Steiner said firefighters were standing by to aid in the cleanup and monitor the generators. About 9:30 p.m. in Elkridge, several lanes on northbound Interstate... [read full story]