Emergency Calls More than Tripled During Irene

Calls to Anne Arundel County emergency services more than tripled during Tropical Storm Irene over the weekend, with crews responding to more than 800 requests for service between Saturday afternoon and Sunday afternoon.

Division Chief Michael Cox of the Anne Arundel County Fire Department said emergency personnel responded to 483 calls directly related to the effects of Irene between noon on Saturday and 4 p.m. Sunday.

In the first 24 hours of the storm, Cox said there were more than 700 total calls. A large number of those calls were related to downed wires and downed trees.

Cox said there were no deaths associated with the storm, and only a few minor injuries.

At about 1:38 Sunday as Tropical Storm Irene began to strengthen in the area, crews responded to a car accident at Gambrills Road and Dicus Mill Road in Gambrills. They transported a 27-year-old man to the Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore with injuries that were serious, but not life threatening.

On Sunday night at 11:54 p.m., emergency crews responded to a call of a 50-year-old man who was struck by a tree on the 500 block of Saltoun Road in Odenton. He was transported to the Shock Trauma Center with serious, but not life-threatening injuries, Cox said.

In Severna Park, a firefighter was treated for minor injuries after he was struck by a tree after responding to a call for service Sunday morning, Cox said. The firefighters sustained minor cuts at about 4 a.m. He was treated at a local hospital and returned to work.

Cox said that with many residents still without power, the fire department is urging residents to keep generators outside and avoid the use of candles. He also said residents should turn off all appliances.

Cox said crews have not received any new reports Monday of roads being closed due to high water, but said residents can report flooded roads by calling the Anne Arundel County Office of Emergency Management 410-222-0600.  

Queen Anne County Sheriff R. Gary Hofmann reported that Anne Bell, 85, of Queenstown died after a chimney fell on her home during the storm on Saturday. According to a release, a large tree fell into a free-standing chimney attached to the home. Bell suffered severe trauma to her body and died after her arrival at Queen Anne's County Emergency Center in Grasonville.

Her son, Charles Bell, was also injured from the falling debris and was subsequently treated at the medical center and released.