During the heavy rains on Sunday, Sept. 6, the Carroll County Ambulance building suffered damages from the flash flooding that occurred on 3rd Street. According to Director, Pat Gray, there was over two inches of rain measured in spots within the building, and this time, no part of the structure was immune to the permeation of water at the foundation level. He described the problem this morning (Monday) to the Carroll County Board of Supervisors.
Gray added, apart from the damage, the storm came on so quickly, that they would not have been able to get an ambulance onto 3rd Street if a call came in. They would have had to wait for Breda to arrive for any transport, and the situation lasted for two to two-and-a-half hours until the rain stopped and the flood waters subsided. EMA Coordinator, Sara Anderson said the flooding issues should have been included in their Hazard Mitigation Plan and it should be included now so that if there any future instances, the County is prepared to ask for assistance; including the possibility of relocating the ambulance services.
Carroll County Ambulance Services moved to this location in 2006, and Gray said he believes this is the third time this exact situation has occurred since he has been there. Supervisors discussed the fact the city has already made this a priority in their long-term plan and Mark Beardmore said it may be a good idea to see how they plan to address the storm drainage in that section of the city.
Supervisors all agreed this should be the next step, and in the meantime, there should be plans made to move an ambulance to the Carroll County Courthouse parking lot in the event of torrential rains to have emergency services available.
