Severe Storms Batter Parts of Montgomery County

MONTGOMERY COUNTY, TX -- A line of severe thunderstorms moved into southern and western parts of Montgomery County Wednesday evening, sparking a number of fires and jamming 911 lines with weather related calls for service.

Montgomery County Fire Dispatchers coordinated responses to 422 calls for service between 6pm and Midnight as lightning strikes damaged numerous buildings and high winds uprooted trees, damaging power and gas lines. Fire crews from all over Montgomery County rolled in to assist in the hardest hit areas, supplemented by crews from adjacent counties as needed.

Precincts 2 and 3 were among the hardest hit areas and crews led by Commissioners Charlie Riley and James Noack are continuing to work to clear trees from County roadways. During the height of the storm, Firefighters were also dispatched to several reports of trees on homes and fires from broken gas lines or damaged electrical equipment.

Parts of Montgomery County are still without power this morning and utility crews will be working throughout the day to restore service. Residents should treat any malfunctioning traffic signals as four way stops and all downed power lines as if they are energized. If you are using portable generators to power your home, keep the generator well away from the home and away from the eaves so that carbon monoxide cannot enter the structure.

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