BGE: Restoring Power Not an Easy Job

BGE offers a demonstration on just how difficult it is for utility workers to repair downed lines and get power restored following a major storm.

At the peak of Hurricane Irene last August, more than 800,000 homes in Maryland were without power. A majority of BGE’s 3,400 employees, along with about 1,000 from out-of-state, worked around the clock for more than a week to restore all of the power. Many customers were patient, while many others grew frustrated after living in the dark for days with no electricity. Veteran BGE workers like Gordon Johnson understood that frustration—he has seen his fair share of hurricanes and blizzards during his 30-year career with the utility company. But he also wants customers to know that restoring power is often not as simple as patching a wire or flipping a switch. “You’re out there in all the elements and what we’re often dealing with is …

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Essex-Middle River 2011 in Review: July-September

Patch looks back on the events that helped shape the last 12 months.

As 2011 comes to a close, Patch is taking this week to look back and reflect on the events that shaped the last 12 months. What were the biggest moments for you? How did they change your neighborhood? Tell us in the comments. Follow Essex-Middle River Patch on Facebook and Twitter. Here are the stories that stood out in July, August and September. July 2: Police Investigating Murder Outside a Rosedale Club A man was fatally shot in the parking lot of Club Baltimore in Rosedale early that morning. The victim was identified as George William Bryant Jr., 36, of the 1500 block of Pentwood Ave. in Baltimore. He had been shot multiple times and was transported to Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead. No arrests have…

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Olszewski Jr: Stormwater Infrastructure Needs Review

State Del. John Olszewski Jr. says he has sent a letter to the Director of Public Works for Baltimore County, seeking a comprehensive review of local stormwater management infrastructure.

While not as damaging as our recent experience with Hurricane Isabel, the impact of Hurricane Irene caused plenty of problems for residents across the district.   After talking with residents concerned about issues of flooding and water backup following Irene as well as other recent thunderstorms, I have sent a letter to the Director of Public Works requesting that Baltimore County take a comprehensive look at our existing stormwater infrastructure to identify potential capital improvements and also to investigate possible operational improvements to best protect our residents.   One such operational improvement might be regularly checking storm drains and sewers, particularly before major storm events, to ensure that rainfall is able to …

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Stone: Residents Prepared for Irene; How About BGE?

State Sen. Norman R. Stone, Jr. thanks BGE employees for their work and after during Hurricane Irene, but asks if the utility company could've been better prepared for the lengthy power outages that followed.

This has been a very difficult August for our area. Starting with two major rainstorms that dumped record amounts of rain on our area.  The rain caused many basements to flood and left some without power. Streets and some areas were flooded which presented additional problems and surprised many of us. Then along comes the 5.8 earthquake, which surprised the entire area. This part of the country very seldom experiences earthquakes but this one was the largest one ever recorded in the state of Maryland area.  Like many other buildings our offices shook and forced our staff to exit the building.  Just about all of the buildings affected were evacuated and people were gathered outside of their building wondering what had just taken place. To …

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Anna Renault

11:28 am on Wednesday, September 7, 2011

Hi Norman, thanks do need to go to BGE for all the work they did under really bad conditions. But, as many have asked did they do their best? I watched three trucks with five men sitting in them, reading the paper, drinking coffee and snoozing for over three hours! There watched as a tree was sawed and partially removed from Holly Neck Road. NO WORK WAS DONE by this crew! Wasn't there somewhere …   more ›

Now & Then

Natural Disasters Nothing New to Maryland

Hurricanes, blizzards, tornadoes are all part of area's history.

Twenty-five years from now, those young couples from Essex and Middle River who are just now beginning their families can sit on the front porch and tell their grandchildren about how they survived an earthquake and a hurricane all in the same week. I am sure that many of you out there will do just that. What a week it has been for Marylanders and residents of eastern Baltimore County. On Aug. 23 the most powerful earthquake ever struck the East Coast. The epicenter of the 5.8 magnitude quake was just northwest of Richmond, VA but the tremors were felt as far north as New England and as far west as Chicago. It may not have been as destructive as quakes that have hit Japan, California and other places, but it was strong enough to cause some…

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Letter to the Editor: Kenneth DeFontes,BGE President & CEO

An Open Letter to BGE Customers: Thank You for Your Patience

BGE wants to thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we continue our Hurricane Irene restoration efforts. We want to assure them that we are working as safely, quickly and efficiently as possible to restore their power. Throughout Central Maryland, we have been addressing public safety issues, such as downed wires, and repairing critical infrastructure as well as repairing equipment and lines serving individual homes and businesses. BGE expects to have all power restored to those impacted by Irene in less time than it took to restore power during 2003’s Isabel—a storm that’s similar in amounts of power outages. Despite the fact that we have restored nearly 80 percent of those who lost power within 72 hours of the storm’…

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Non-Potable Water Available at Fire Stations

The water is being offered to residents using wells who are without power and running water.

Non-potable water will be available at fire stations to Baltimore County residents who are on wells and are without power and running water, according to a fire department press release sent out by fire department spokeswoman Elise Armacost.  The release states that residents should bring their own containers. The following is a list of fire stations in Baltimore County that are distributing water.  According to the BGE power outage map, 48,355 Baltimore County customers are still without service as a result of Hurricane Irene.

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Hurricane Irene Exposes Traffic Law Myth

Maryland has no law governing right of way when power fails and traffic lights go dark.

Hurricane Irene didn't just knock down trees and cut off power. The weekend storm that churned up the East Coast has inadvertently revealed a hole in Maryland's traffic laws, according to a regional motorist organization. Scores of intersections were left without power in the days following the weekend storm, leaving government officials to plead for motorists to treat intersections with inoperable traffic lights as four-way stops. But Maryland law does not require it. "People think we have a law but we don't," said Ragina Averella, public and government affairs manager for AAA Mid-Atlantic. "I was a (Baltimore City) police officer and I thought we had a law." Del. James Malone, chairman of the House subcommittee overseeing motor vehicles …

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Tim

6:34 pm on Saturday, September 3, 2011

I'm glad your sons are okay, despite the terrible and inconsiderate driving of that other person.   more ›