Damage from harsh storms Friday, including on College Avenue, caused severe power outages across the region. Within an hour, the university’s power returned.

Applebee’s was one of the few places that retained power Friday night.

Juma Sellers, the bartender on duty when the restaurant’s power flickered, said he didn’t realize the rest of Route 1 and much of the state had experienced worse power outages after high-speed winds and rain ripped through the region, uprooting trees and leaving power lines dangling from wooden posts. More than 20 people died and more than 2 million Mid-Atlantic homes remained without power Monday afternoon, including more than 270,000 state residents.

Over the weekend, university employees spent hours clearing debris from the streets; some roads off the campus were split by traffic cones to steer drivers away from halted construction zones.

However, a combined heat and power system plan enables the university to generate power off the grid – within one hour, nearly every university building on the campus regained power, according to Facilities Management Director Carlo Colella.

The university also saw minimal damage, he said; a few trees had to be removed and McKeldin Library and the Benjamin Building suffered some roof damage. Colella said he will know the full cost of the damage by tomorrow.

“The physical damage was relatively minor,” he said. “In comparison to the rest of the community, where there was such tragedies with trees falling through houses and cars, the university was very fortunate.”

On the periphery of the campus, some structures stayed dark. Pepco did not restore power to South Campus Commons until early Monday morning, prompting university officials to open air conditioned dorms to house sweltering Commons residents Saturday and Sunday nights.

But for many students, the rush to find cool air and water began Friday night.

Sellers was supposed to get out of work around 10 p.m., but customers began to flock to the lit windows and air conditioning in Applebee’s.

“People were attracted to us like flies to a zap-it,” he said.

The restaurant was packed to its capacity of 150 people and had more waiting in the parking lot in the triple-digit degree heat, Sellers said. Saturday was even crazier, he added.

Senior journalism major Julianne Pelusi was working at R.J. Bentley’s Friday night when its power went out briefly at about 11:30 p.m.

“Time stood still for a minute,” Pelusi said.

Down Route 1, a powerless Looney’s Pub continued serving patrons drinks, accepting only cash.

While some students ventured into the heat out of necessity, others were on call. Zach Gilbert, a junior public health major, was on duty as an EMT from 3 p.m. on Friday until 9 a.m. the next day.

After 11:30 p.m., the station began to receive reports of accidents, house fires and fallen trees. A transformer caught fire and power lines were exploding, Gilbert said.

The outages scrambled 911 service for some and left this and Montgomery counties with mandatory water restrictions. Gov. Martin O’Malley issued a state of emergency along with governors from West Virginia, Ohio, and Virginia, two of whom requested federal assistance in the storm’s aftermath.

The responders pulled a few people from their cars after the rain flooded the Capital Beltway, Gilbert said.

Ron Bridges, a spokesman for the Prince George’s County Fire Department, said the high temperatures created additional difficulties for firefighters and EMTs. In addition to fires, including a sparking transformer on Greenbelt Road, the department received reports of wind blowing the roofs off at least five apartment buildings in the county, none in this city.

“College Park was sort of lucky in that area,” he said.

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