Tree Falls on Lawyers Hill Home

Trees fell on two Howard County homes Sunday morning during Hurricane Irene, said Jackie Culter, spokeswoman for Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue Services.

“So far, we have not had reports of any injuries," said Cutler.

At 3:12 a.m., the call came in that a tree had fallen into a home on Lawyers Hill Road, said Cutler. As of 3:45 a.m., crews were “trying to make access and extricate [the residents] but it’s proven challenging due to debris in the roadway,” said Cutler.

An hour earlier, crews in Columbia worked on a similar situation. At approximately 2:30 a.m., a tree fell on a residence in the 5300 block of Mad River Lane in Columbia, said Cutler. The three people living there were taken to the emergency shelter that the county has set up for citizens impacted by the storm, and their pet is staying with neighbors, said Cutler.

Howard County opened its emergency shelter at 8 p.m. Saturday for residents who needed assistance. As of 4 a.m., the family from Mad River Lane was the only group in the shelter. “We haven’t had a huge request in terms of people asking to be housed there,” said Cutler.

Government  officials were working on clearing roadways, particularly on Route 40 in Ellicott City, said Cutler, where debris had become a significant issue.

"We hope people will stay at home and ride out the rest of the storm," said Cutler.