BALTIMORE (March 21, 2018) – BGE continues to make significant progress restoring electric service to customers affected by the spring nor’easter and expects service to the vast majority of customers to be restored this evening with some work extending into Thursday. The combination of ice and heavy, wet snow accumulation caused whole tree and tree limbs to fall onto power lines causing outages.
BGE field and support personnel mobilized in advance of the storm and have been responding to outages throughout the day.

“We thank our customers for their patience and understanding as we work through this latest round of storm-related outages,” said Rodney Oddoye, vice president of customer operations and chief customer officer for BGE. “Despite challenging conditions, our crews continue to work very safely during this restoration process.”

In addition to BGE’s 3,200 employees, contractors and out-of-state utility crews are assisting in storm response efforts. Contractors from BGE’s Exelon sister utility ComEd in Illinois have been dispatched to assist as well as contractor crews from Indiana, Kentucky and Tennessee. In addition to the fully mobilized BGE Storm Center, a regional command center in Odenton is also set up.  

Service is expected to be restored to all public schools within BGE’s service area by tonight.

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.

Customers can find information on preparing for winter weather and other emergency events at the storm center on BGE.com, as well as storm preparation information and restoration progress via BGE’s social media sites Twitter and Facebook.

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 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. However, in cases of extended power outages, consideration is also given to customers who have been without service for the longest.

Clearing fallen tree debris and icy, snowy roads, can be factors in restoration progress.

BGE requests that customers identify the location of outside utility equipment such as natural gas or electric meters that could be covered in snow and may be susceptible to damage from snow shovels and mechanized snow removal equipment. Please keep outside meters and exhaust vents for gas appliances clear of ice and snow. Use a broom or brush to gently clear the area around the meter of anything blocking it, including debris, ice and snow. Do not melt ice or snow on meters with a heat source, and do not chip or scrape ice. These methods can damage or break the meter. It is also important to remove icicles that hang over the meter and can drip freezing water that may damage equipment.