MADISON, Md. - Property owners in the small Dorchester County community of Madison are assessing damage after heavy rain and strong winds moved through the area on the Fourth of July.
The storm damaged several properties across town, including the Madison Volunteer Fire Company, private buildings, utility poles and a garage struck by a falling tree.
Courtesy: Stanley Noland
Photos sent to WBOC by a viewer show a large tree split apart and crashed through a garage. Other damage included sections of roofing torn away, scattered debris and downed electrical lines.
Benny Horseman, assistant chief of the Madison Volunteer Fire Company, said the storm damaged doors at the end of the fire station before continuing through other parts of the community.
“The firehouse blew the doors at the end of the firehouse,” Horseman said. “Obvious damage to my building, which is like 500 yards from the station.”
Horseman said strong winds also tore the roof from an old canning house near the former Madison Bay restaurant. Debris from the building severed electrical wires, contributing to a temporary power outage. Several utility poles were also brought down in the area.
Horseman said he was about a quarter-mile away when the storm moved through and experienced only a small amount of wind at his location.
He said cleanup at his damaged property had not started as of Monday because he was waiting for an insurance adjuster to inspect the building. Lumber being stored inside for another construction project was also exposed to the storm.
At a nearby campground, Joe Dobbins found a shed destroyed after receiving a photograph from a friend. Dobbins, who lives in New Jersey, took the day off from work and traveled to Madison to secure his belongings.
Dobbins said he has used the campsite for about nine years and had never experienced significant storm damage there before.
“Nobody got hurt,” Dobbins said. “All this stuff’s replaceable. It’s the best thing you could say about it, really.”
Horseman said damage was reported at several locations across Madison, but no injuries were reported.
“Everybody’s got a little bit of damage,” Horseman said. “Nobody got hurt. That’s the best thing.”
Fire officials are urging people to remain cautious around downed wires, unstable trees and damaged structures as cleanup and insurance assessments continue.
