The Montgomery County Department of Public Safety shared that following the storm on June 19, the 9-1-1 call center received 4,887 incoming calls over a 12-hour period. The center usually receives approximately 1,000 calls during any 12-hour period.
The busiest period was between 5:00pm and 6:00pm, when 1,773 calls were received (or a call every two seconds). The following hour maintained almost the same pace at 1,692.
The municipalities that generated the most calls were: Lower Merion Township (356), Abington Township (244), Cheltenham Township (179), Upper Moreland Township (136), Upper Dublin Township (111), and Springfield Township (85). Just over 50% of all dispatches were in these six townships.
The call center reported a large number of “abandoned calls” following the storm, which are defined as calls where the caller hangs up before being spoken with. The Montgomery County Department of Public Safety emphasized in an announcement that hanging up and calling back does not expedite the process and that it results in losing your place in the queue.
The top types of incidents reported during the 12-hours during and following the storm were:
- Road Obstruction (378)
- Electrical Fire Outside (199)
- Police Information (189)
- Public Service (108)
- Security Alarm (78)
Other notable incidents included a vehicle accident (58), building investigation (53), carbon monoxide detector activation (25), rescue operations (23), and building fire (14).
Busiest municipalities by dispatched incidents: Lower Merion Twp. (356), Abington Twp. (244), Cheltenham Twp. (179), Upper Moreland Twp. (136), Upper Dublin Twp. (111), and Springfield Twp. (85). 50.5% of all incidents dispatched occurred in these six townships.
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