A holiday weekend of severe thunderstorms left tens of thousands of people across central Maryland without electricity, disrupting daily routines and transit service as repair crews worked through widespread storm damage.
In areas where the storms damaged utility poles, electricity cannot be turned back on until that equipment is replaced, which is extending restoration times for some customers.
What's happening?
Widespread power losses hit central Maryland after storms on July 4 and July 5, and Baltimore Gas and Electric has been working to restore service ever since, WMAR-2 News reported. The storms that moved through on the night of July 4 initially left more than 80,000 customers without power.
By Monday morning, the utility said conditions were improving, though many homes and businesses were still without service. More than 24,500 customers remained without power at 11:30 a.m. BGE also said that by 9 a.m., power had been restored for more than 70,000 customers affected by the July 4 storm, along with 14,000 customers impacted by the July 5 storms.
Anne Arundel, Baltimore County, and Harford County have been among the areas with the most remaining outages. In some of those cases, crews must finish replacing storm-damaged poles before lines can be safely energized again.
Storm-related outages have also affected transit. WMAR-2 News reported that light rail service between Patapsco and Cromwell/BWI Airport remained suspended, while the Maryland Department of Transportation Maryland Transit Administration said a bus bridge was available for passengers.
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Why does it matter?
Large-scale outages can disrupt refrigeration, work, phone charging, medical equipment, and transit service.
Downed power lines and damaged poles can also make cleanup hazardous after severe storms.
When outages last for days, repairs may require rebuilding damaged infrastructure before power can be restored.
What's being done?
According to BGE, crews were ready before the storms arrived and started restoration work as soon as conditions allowed. Across the region, some customers are still waiting for service because broken utility poles have to be replaced first.
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The utility said it expected about four out of five customers still without service to be restored by Monday at 6 p.m., with nearly all remaining customers back online by 11 p.m. Tuesday.
Outage or fallen-line reports can be made to BGE at 877-778-2222. The pace of restoration will likely depend on how quickly damaged poles and other equipment can be replaced.
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