Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1955-09-20
Emergency Crews Kept On Alert
For Hurricane That Didn't Come
Tension Eases
About 2 AN. as
Threat Fudes


other shoe to drop. o score ~
Washington area emergency
crews sat through most Of last
night waiting for q hurricane
that didn't come.
Civil Defense, American Red
Cross. utility crews and house,
holders In areas which are often
flooded waited for lone. but
nothing happened.
At first all were poised, eager
and alert. Finally, after mid
might they got just plain bored.
Civil Defense units In Mont.
|gomery, Arlington. Fairfax, Alex
landria and Prince Georges Coul-
lty, gave up about 2 am. when
lit became apparent the high
winds and heavy rains would
not strike this area.
Command Post Set Up
However, like all ill-winds.
lone blew some good as 1t
worked its way up the eastern
shore from the Carolinas.
It permitted District Civil De-
lfense Director Col. John ..
Fonhdahl to set up q disaster
command post at the National
Guard Armory.
Special telephone and radio
communications were installed
land contact was maintained with
1.-THE nearby county units until
l12:30 am.
The Armory command post
finally closed at 4 am. The reg
lular Civil Defense headquarters
lat 1920 Howard street NV, con-
ltinued Its usual 24-hour opera
ltions.
Fear Damage to North
The Civil Defense Region Z
headquarters, covering the Dis.
ltrict and seven Eastern States,
remained operational on q "a
hour alert. A spokesman there
lsaid he was still concerned with
the possibility Of storm damage
lin Delaware and New Jersey to-
lday.
| Potomac Electric Power Co..
advised that any possible damage
from lone would come Just be.
fore dawn. left only a few stand.
j Iby crews on during the night.
However. all available linemen
reported earlier today than usual.
They arrived but found little
Ito do.
II A similar situation existed for
Virginia Electric Power Co. and
Chesapeake g. Potomac Tele-
, phone Co. crewmen.
Nothing more than the usual
emergency calls were experienced
. during the night.
> Police Chief Robert v. Murray
cancelled q call that would have
brought midnight crews in II
conditions required.
Men on the afternoon shift
yesterday we're required to put
In overtime in handling trafilc
resulting from early dismissal Of
Federal workers and school
children.
Floods Don't Appear -
Faced with the prospect OF
certain flooding II the predicted
1.-TWO to six inches Of rain came,
the Suburban Supply Co., In
the Peace Cross section obtained
800 sandbagS from r. Hal Sil-
lvers, Prince Georges County
Civil Defense Director. They
were not needed.
/; Also unneeded were detailed
plans issued by town Police Chief
Harry Miller to Edmonston resi-
dents for the safest routes to
elevated areas in case that sec
Ition were inundated.
i Most water, highway and
sewer crews in both the District
land surrounding communities
were dismissed for the night
without having to 60 into action.
While Red Cross chapters
nearby had little to do those
In the New Bern-Morehead, N. C..
section Of the coast were bust
ling. More than 1000 persons
were evacuated from both towns.
OF these. 800 were housed in Red
Cross shelters.
Other shelters have been set
up on the Eastern shore at Cape
Charles. Va, and in Cambridge
land Salisbury, Md,