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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Utility Work: Kenilworth Drive Project to Finish Late Summer

Also, BGE will bury some power lines in the Wiltondale neighborhood.

Residents have been asking me when the lengthy Kenilworth Drive water main project would finish. A recent county newsletter said the job, which began about a year ago, was 75 percent complete and set to finish this month. That didn't sound right, so I turned to David Fidler, spokesman for the county Department of Public Works. In an email, Fidler clarified that the project will be finished for good by the end of the summer but that "the worst will be out of the way in three to four weeks." Crews today are starting to grout the new 7,432-foot-long water main on Kenilworth Drive. That work should take about a week. The contractor will then install temporary paving along the stretch by the second week of June and the road will be milled and …

BGE Officials Hear Concerns at Irene Town Hall

More than 30 people turned out to discuss the utility's response with BGE executives.

Months after Hurricane Irene churned up the East Coast, Baltimore Gas and Electric officials are still facing many of the same questions about the utility's response to lengthy power outages caused by the storm. Why did it take so long to restore power? Why weren't real people answering the phones? Why did trucks park in neighborhoods for hours and leave with the power still out? State Sen. James Brochin moderated a Monday evening town hall with representatives of BGE at Towson High School, where officials listened to complaints and concerns of more than 30 residents and promised to do better. "We want to engage the community," said Ervin McDaniel, BGE's liaison and investigations director. "We want to be able to go through and be in …

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Letter to the Editor: BGE President and CEO Thanks Customers, Employees for Irene Work

Hurricane Irene was one of the most damaging storms in the company's history, said Kenneth W. DeFontes Jr.

BGE sincerely thanks each and every one of its 1.2 million residential and business customers for their patience and understanding through BGE’s massive restoration efforts following the widespread and devastating effects of Hurricane Irene. We thank you for taking the time to prepare for this major storm—your careful planning made it possible for all of us to manage the impact of Irene—one of the most damaging storms in our nearly 200-year history. And, we thank you for doing your part and reporting outages. By doing so, you helped ensure that we restored power as quickly, safely and efficiently as possible. Please know that we appreciate the intense frustration that results from being without electric service, as daily tasks become …

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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 ›

Baltimore County Schools Closed Tuesday

43 schools remain without power as of Monday afternoon, according to school officials.

Summer vacation is still not over for Baltimore County Public Schools students. (Listen closely and you can hear parents moaning.) Schools in the county will be closed for a second straight day, the system announced via _Twitter_, as the region continues to deal with the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. According to a news release, 43 of the county’s 173 schools, centers, and programs remained without full power on Monday, down from 65 that had no power on Sunday. “We are making progress, and we all want to have students return to school as soon as possible,” said Baltimore County Public Schools Superintendent Joe A. Hairston in a statement. “But with so many of our schools unable to open, our entire system is impacted, from bus routes and …

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