HAGERSTOWN – The night of April 19 inundated Washington County’s 911 Emergency Communications Center with a record-breaking 1,518 emergency calls over six hours as a powerful storm swept through the region with scant warning, causing widespread damage and prompting thousands of urgent pleas for help.
Officials said dispatchers on duty Saturday night demonstrated extraordinary professionalism and resilience, managing the crisis despite overwhelming demand that left some calls unanswered.
By 9 p.m., the call volume began escalating to 109 calls, and skyrocketed to 995 calls in the next hour, an unprecedented surge according to emergency officials. Calls continued steadily with 271 more in the next hour, and leveled off by the early morning hours with 70 at midnight, 42 at 1 a.m., and 31 at 2.
“This was a night like no other,” Director of Emergency Management and Communications Alan Matheny said. “The calls could have easily overwhelmed the system, but our staff’s training and teamwork kept operations running smoothly, serving our community when they needed us most.”
The deluge strained system capacity, highlighting the challenges of handling such rare, high-impact events. To prevent future congestion, officials urge residents to reserve 911 for life-threatening emergencies and use the non-emergency line for issues such as impassable roads or felled trees.
They also advise that only one person per household report an incident to avoid clogging lines. For power restoration inquiries, residents should contact Potomac Edison directly, not 911 or emergency management.
The county highway department reported that Old Forge Road between Cave Hill and Unger Road remain closed due to downed wires as of Wednesday.
County Spokeswoman Danielle N. Weaver said there was no significant damage to county-owned buildings, aside from minor impacts to some hangars at the airport. “We don’t have any monetary estimates available at this time. “Fortunately, no injuries were reported,” she added.
Potomac Edison has deployed supplementary crews from neighboring states to restore power. Officials warn residents to avoid downed power lines. Always consider them to be live and dangerous, and report them immediately.
Several parks, including Regional Park, Camp Harding and Pen Mar Park, remain impacted by debris and fallen branches, with cleanup ongoing. County transit services reports delays due to road closures, while Hagerstown Regional Airport and Black Rock Golf Course have resumed normal operations. County offices are open, though some services may be limited as recovery continues.
Featuring straight line winds, the “supercell” storm caused more destructive damage across the tri-state area than usual thunderstorms, cutting power for 22,500 residents, half of whom suffered without from one to two days. Outages affected 5,500 customers in Berkeley County, West Virginia, and over 7,000 in Franklin County, Pennsylvania.
Wind gusts of up to 75 mph in places and heavy precipitation causing widespread damage caught the region off guard, with local reports indicating official warnings issued by the National Weather Service or the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s alert system, leaving emergency services “blindsided” by the short notice, according to reports from the region.
“The alert came in later than usual, which can happen with sudden, fast-developing storms,” Weaver said, adding that “while the timing may have increased the volume of calls, it did not significantly affect the overall outcome or response.”
The county is providing free dumpsters starting for storm debris disposal. Parks and recreation crews continued cleanup in affected parks, and residents are advised to avoid hazards like downed lines that may still be present.
