Superstorm Sandy mostly spares Maryland as it moves up coast

The city's morning road-use restriction does not apply to public safety officers or hospital employees and other medical providers. Businesspeople who have pre-registered with the Corporate Emergency Access System, a credentialing system that the city uses in emergencies, are allowed on the streets so that their companies can continue to offer continuous service, he said.

Though no other local governments have instituted driving bans, other counties were asking people to stay off the roads while emergency crews got to work.

"Unless absolutely essential, please stay off the roads a little longer as utilities, roads department and emergency crews get their first daylight look at things and start the recovery," said Mike Dixon, a spokesman for the Cecil County Department of Emergency Services.

About 184,500 Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers without power at 1 p.m. Tuesday, about 15,400 of those customers are in Baltimore. Anne Arundel had the most outages in the region — about 51,200, about a quarter of the county's homes. Still, that was fewer than officials expected and under the number of outages caused by Hurricane Irene last year.

"Anne Arundel County is typically in the cross-hairs," County Executive John R. Leopold said Tuesday morning. "We have more than 500 miles of shoreline and our low- lying areas are always susceptible. But we didn't take as big a hit as other jurisdictions."

Howard County Executive Ken Ulman said the county fared well. Three people were transported to Shock-Trauma overnight — one of them in critical condition — with carbon monoxide poisoning after they attempted to run an electric generator inside their North Laurel home, he said.

A sewage spill in Savage was continuing to dump 2 million gallons a hour of untreated waste water into the Little Patuxent River, Ulman said about 10 a.m. The county executive said BGE was notified about 11 p.m. Monday night when the failure of a feeder cut off power to the plant. But he said a team from the utility didn't reach the scene until about 6:20 a.m.

"I need to know what the conditions were that prevented them from sending out a response team," said Ulman, who added he will seek a full audit of BGE's performance. Despite the spill, Ulman reassured county residents that their drinking water is safe and doesn't require boiling.

Ulman said about 14 roads had been closed because of downed trees and power lines but most remained clear. The county executive said he hopes that Howard schools can reopen Wednesday. He said about 10 percent of county residents lost power.

Utility officials have said that this round of power outages could throw life off kilter for tens of thousands over the next several days, if not longer. About 2,000 out-of-state workers are currently working with BGE to restore power, BGE officials said. Another 1,000 are expected later today.

The utility is conducting a damage assessment today and is not expected to make predictions before Wednesday about when power will be restored to all customers.

Most schools, government offices and businesses remain closed Tuesday. At Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, officials are anticipating extensive flight cancellations Tuesday.

The Bay Bridge was reopened around 9 a.m. Tuesday following a damage assessment by bridge inspectors.

The Tydings Bridge, which carries Interstate 95 over the Susquehanna River, was also reopened Tuesday morning. The Key Bridge and the Hatem Bridge are open, with restrictions on tractor trailers and box trucks, the Maryland Transportation Administration reported.

The Maryland Transit Administration plans to resume limited service after finding little damage on its rail lines. Spokesman Terry Owens says Baltimore's subway will resume operating at noon on Tuesday, along with limited local bus service and mobility paratransit service for disabled riders.

There was no major flooding or damage to the transit system, Owens said. The MTA's light rail system will remain suspended through Tuesday, though, to give crews time to reinstall crossing gates. They were removed as a precaution during the storm to prevent debris from breaking loose in high winds.

MARC trains and commuter bus lines will also open Wednesday, though delays may occur due to signal problems and flood-related speed restrictions. Most Amtrak service in the northeast remains suspended Tuesday. Amtrak will decide late Tuesday whether limited service north and south of New York will be resume on Wednesday.

Federal, state and local government offices remained closed for non-essential employees, as were Fort Meade and Aberdeen Proving Ground, and while most hospitals remained open for routine business.

Early voting is set to resume Wednesday, according to Gov. Martin O'Malley. Hours will be extended, he said.

Johns Hopkins Hospital announced it was canceling all outpatient appointments Tuesday.