Monday, March 4, 2013
Laurel and much of the region are expected to get a dose of winter weather this week.
Baltimore Gas and Electric is bringing in 500 extra workers to help with any power outages that might occur thanks to a winter storm expected to roll in Tuesday evening and Wednesday. Wind gusts could climb as high as 50 mph, causing outages and even preventing the use of bucket trucks to make quick repairs, the utility said in a statement. "Snow accumulations are forecasted to reach between six to 15 inches," BGE warned. "Coupled with high wind gusts, heavy, wet snow can cover tree limbs, electric delivery equipment and power lines, and cause power outages." A winter storm watch is in effect for much of the region from Tuesday evening to Wednesday evening. The National Weather Service is calling for "heavy wet snow, gusty winds, [and] …
Friday, February 8, 2013
The blackout was caused by a tree that fell on a transmission line, according to Pepco.
Update, 3:52 p.m.: Pepco has now restored power to all but a handful of homes and businesses, with just 275 of the utility's 225,560 Prince George's customers still in the dark. Update, 3:05 p.m.: Three hours after a falling tree left tens of thousands of Pepco customers without power in and around Prince George's County, the utility reports that some 17,123 homes and businesses across the county are still in the dark. Update, 1:58 p.m.: At last count, the number of Prince George's County Pepco customers affected by Friday's outage had climbed to 39,866—or about 18 percent of the utility's 225,560 homes and businesses in the county. Original article, 12:51 p.m.: About 30,000 Pepco customers in Prince George's County were left without …
Thursday, December 20, 2012
About 50,000 residents throughout the county lost power Thursday night after blue and green lights filled the Anne Arundel skyline.
More than 68,000 homes and businesses throughout Anne Arundel County lost power Thursday night after unexplained blue and green lights filled the skyline just before 9 p.m. "We lost two of the main lines that feed into Annapolis and the surrounding areas," said Baltimore Gas and Electric's (BGE) spokesperson Rachael Lighty. While there were still more than 1,600 BGE customers out of power in Anne Arundel County at about 6:30 a.m. Friday, nearly 67,000 customers had their power restored, according to BGE's online outage map. By 10 a.m., the outage map showed only 359 customers without power and 68,340 with power restored. "We do believe that we have located and isolated the issue," Lighty said early on Friday morning but couldn't say …
The utility says heavy rain and wind in the next few days may lead to outages in central Maryland.
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) is warning customers in the central Maryland area to prepare for weather-related outages as an approaching weather system is forecasting heavy rain Thursday night coupled with high winds Friday and Saturday. In a statement issued by spokesperson Rachael Lighty Thursday morning, the utility said it was “proactively preparing” for outages, and directed customers to online tools for “enhanced customer service” tools. “BGE continues to monitor the forecast high wind and heavy rain, which is expected to begin with rain on Thursday afternoon,” Jeannette Mills, vice president and chief customer officer for BGE said in the statement. “This expected weather brings the potential of trees falling onto power …
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Residents testified Tuesday night about their experiences with power outages.
While many of the people testifying about BGE’s reliability in Howard County were familiar faces at Tuesday’s public hearing, some new perspectives came to the forefront, too; particularly the business perspective. “Our business is to help small businesses solve technical problems,” Kristy Mumma said of the Columbia-based company Stewart Technologies, Inc. “But we’re having technical problems of our own due to frequent, unexplained outages.” About 20 people signed up to testify – all in favor of CR134, which would create a resolution on behalf of the County Council, asking the Public Service Commission to initiate a second investigation into BGE’s reliability in Howard County in neighborhoods not mentioned in the investigation currently …
Friday, August 3, 2012
'It is important to note that no utility east of the Mississippi River could have anticipated the raw strength of this storm system.' BGE report.
The unpredictability of the June derecho was an important factor in the scope and length of power outages across BGE’s service area, according to a new report filed with the state. BGE filed its Major Outage Event Report with the Public Service Commission on July 30 as is required by Maryland law after a "major outage event." The derecho, which hit on June 29, left more than three quarters of a million Maryland customers in the dark – 62 percent of BGE’s customer base in Maryland. Focus on BGE's response intensified after a letter sent by Howard County Executive Ken Ulman and six other elected municipal heads. In it, they said BGE refused to give them specific outage information directly after the storm hit, and that the utility …
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Four schools were without power as of late Wednesday.
Four schools in Howard County will be closed Thursday due to power outages, according to a statement from HCPSS. All activities for the four schools are canceled. All other schools hosting HCPSS and community-sponsored summer programs, events and activities are open and operating as scheduled. Eighteen schools were closed on Monday and 14 were closed on Tuesday, before the July 4 holiday amid widespread power outages across the region, following a devastating storm Friday June 29. The following schools are closed Thursday: Clarksville Elementary Hammond Elementary Phelps Luck Elementary Hammond Middle School
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Several scenarios lead to the same outcome: more thunderstorms, according to the National Weather Service.
More than 9,000 Howard County residents are still in the dark four days after a storm knocked out power to tens of thousands of residents in the area. Now the National Weather Service is reporting another storm may be on the way. "A few thunderstorms may be strong to severe with large hail and damaging wind gusts," the NWS's hazardous weather outlook reported Tuesday evening. According to the forecast discussion, a "mesoscale convective system" -- a group of thunderstorms that form a large-scale system -- was headed toward Pennsylvania earlier Tuesday evening. If that system holds, there's a 60-70 percent chance we'll see scattered thunderstorms this evening. And, "even if it weakens ... additional storms may refire along its boundary…
People are stocking up on supplies after a devastating storm Friday.
As of Tuesday afternoon, demand for food and emergency supplies was still strong across Howard County, according to store managers selling everything from generators to groceries. "Initially, there was a huge run of generators, and we sold every one we had," said Chris Moore, general manager of the Costco in Columbia. Are you seeing supply shortages anywhere in Howard County? Tell us in comments. Moore said people were buying supplies in preparation for an extended power outage, like batteries, lanterns, disposable dishes and bottled water. BGE officials have said in some cases, power restoration efforts could extend into the weekend after a damaging storm ripped through the region Friday, knocking power out for thousands of residents. …
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Crews are being brought in from Oklahoma and the Carolinas to assist in repairs, Pepco Region President Tom Graham said Sunday.
It may take more than a week to restore power across the region in the wake of Friday's violent storms, Pepco Region President Tom Graham told WTOP Sunday morning. "We're working as quickly and safely as we can for our customers, but it's hard work. … It's very labor intensive," Graham said in an on-air interview. According to Graham, Pepco's early efforts have been focused on assessment and repairing the supply lines that feed the utility's substations. "Now that those have been solidified—and those resources have really been behind the scenes, working on the property, restoring that service—now you'll see a greater presence in the community from those resources," Graham said. Graham also said that the utility was bringing in mutual …
George Karadimas
6:21 pm on Monday, February 18, 2013
VOX POPULI..Let them hear Us Loud and Clear! "Dear MSMA Member, Because we realize some of you do not have enough time to go on line and download a letter to your delegates, we are making it very easy for you to get involved. While letters and face-to-face meetings are much more effective, signing the petition below is much simpler and will have some impact. The petition urges your Maryland … more ›