In the early morning hours of August 28th, 2011, central Maryland was introduced to Hurricane Irene, a powerful storm that traveled its way up the east coast, causing destruction. Carroll County mainly experienced steady rainfall, and high wind speeds with top speeds reaching up to 70 mph. The biggest problem occurring in the area was uprooted/fallen trees taking out the power lines feeding the citizens of the county. Many roads were closed due to this recurring problem. Station 2 prepared for this storm by having several members stay overnight to keep the equipment staffed. Although we didn't have any serious emergencies occur, we took that step as a precaution. Later in the morning around 7 o'clock after the stronger parts of the storm had passed, the Carroll County roads service recruited some extra help from the fire companies. Several stations provided crews in utility trucks to clear the roads of fallen trees. These crews traveled around where needed to cut away fallen trees with chain saws to clear the path for travel. Hampstead's utility traveled through our first due, Reese's first due, and Westminster's first due areas making an effort to help clear roads.
One of the bigger sites cleared by Hampstead's utility crew.
A tree that had been blown over only 50 yards away during the clearing of a road that the Hampstead crew was working on.
Taken from the bridge on Tank Road, the water is still very high, and fast flowing!
Jun 16, 2026
