Wind gusts and ice resulted in approximately 10,000 new outages
BALTIMORE, Feb. 7, 2014 – BGE’s more than 1,700 employees, contract and out-of-state mutual assistance field personnel continue to work around-the-clock, restoring service to 95 percent of the more than 182,000 customers affected by this week’s ice and freezing rain. Continued challenging weather conditions overnight Wednesday and Thursday, including ice coating electric equipment, trees and tree limbs, and wind gusts resulted in10,000 additional outages. As of 4:00 p.m., BGE has restored service to more than 173,000 customers. Today, BGE is reaching out to customers who may be without service until Saturday. Customers can stay up-to-date on restoration status by calling BGE at 877.778.2222 or via a mobile device at bge.com/restoration.

“As crews experienced challenging conditions, extensive system damage and new outage jobs, it has required us to adjust the timeline for restoration for all customers,” said Carol Dodson, vice president and chief customer officer, BGE. “For those customers without electric service, please know that our crews are committed to getting your service restored as quickly as possible. In many cases, service to these remaining customers could not be safely restored until the main lines feeding their individual homes and businesses were repaired. We remain committed to providing as much information as possible to customers throughout the day. Customers can find updated estimated times of restoration as they are available at bge.com.”

In addition to BGE’s 1,100 employees engaged in restoration work, BGE has more than 600 out of state storm personnel working alongside BGE crews around-the-clock. Crews traveled from Delaware, Ohio, Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia and joined BGE crews in restoration work as early as Wednesday. The company continued to add mutual assistance crews to the restoration effort through Friday morning. 

BGE's top restoration priorities are public safety issues and critical 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. 

BGE customers who are elderly, disabled or dependent on electricity for medical equipment, should always have alternate arrangements in place should they experience an extended power outage (Customers with Special Needs). Customers using a generator should follow manufacturer instructions and be sure to locate generators in well-ventilated areas. 

Safety information and restoration updates can be found bge.com/restoration, available online and through mobile devices. Customers can also stay informed by visiting BGE’s social media sites Twitter and Facebook. 

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BGE, headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland’s largest gas and electric utility, delivering power to more than 1.2 million electric customers and more than 655,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,400 employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. BGE is a subsidiary of Exelon Corporation (NYSE: EXC), the nation’s leading competitive energy provider, with 2012 revenues of approximately $23.5 billion. Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter, YouTube and Flickr.