​BALTIMORE (March 3, 2018) – BGE is continuing to restore electric service to customers affected by a powerful nor'easter that began moving through central Maryland on Friday and is forecasted to continue causing damage to trees and power equipment today. More than 400,000 outages have been caused by high sustained winds and gusts exceeding 70 miles per hour in the BGE service area.  As new outages occur, customers should prepare for a restoration effort that will extend throughout the weekend and possibly into early next week. BGE increased staffing and mobilized crews in advance of the storm. Crews from utilities located outside the large geographic area impacted by this storm will be arriving late this afternoon and early tomorrow morning to assist with restoration efforts. Crews from BGE's Exelon sister utility ComEd in Illinois are anticipated to arrive this evening.

Crews are working in around-the-clock shifts to restore service as safely and quickly as possible, however, outage durations could be affected by hazardous conditions, including downed trees and large limbs that must be removed from power lines before repairs can be completed.  Additionally, operation of bucket trucks for overhead repairs is limited in high winds. 

BGE asks all customers, including those with smart meters, to report their outage. Outages may be reported online at BGE.com and via BGE's free mobile app available at the Apple Store or Google Play.  Customers may also report outages and downed wires by calling 877-778-2222, on BGE.com and through mobile devices. To sign up for email and text notifications, visit BGE.com/alerts.  The technical issues with the outage map on BGE.com have been resolved and accurate outage totals are being displayed once again. Damage assessments continue for most reported outages, and estimated times of restoration on the outage map and through BGE's outage reporting phone system are limited to outages where crews are actively repairing damage. 

Customers with special needs, such as those who may be elderly, disabled or dependent on electricity for medical equipment, should have alternate arrangements in place should they experience an extended power outage.

BGE's restoration priorities are public safety and critical care facilities, such as 911 centers, hospitals and pumping stations.  Then restoration is generally scheduled so that the greatest number of customers can be restored as quickly and as safely as possible.  However, in cases of extended power outages, consideration is also given to customers who have been without service for the longest. 

This is the most damaging storm in the BGE service area by power outage count since 2012. 

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BGE, founded in 1816 as the nation's first gas utility and headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland's largest natural gas and electric utility. The company's approximately 3,200 employees are committed to safe and reliable power delivery to more than 1.25 million electric customers and more than 650,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. J.D. Power's 2017 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Study ^SM ranked BGE highest in customer satisfaction with business electric service in the east among large utilities. The company also has an estimated annual economic impact of $5 billion of output in its service area, supporting more than 9,500 local jobs and producing $923 million in labor income. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation's leading competitive energy provider. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, YouTube  and Flickr.