Wednesday, May 30, 2012
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 …
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
Residents could see a flash flood rating system and an increased number of rain gardens.
Howard County officials want to do a better job of warning residents that a flash flood is coming. Officials, in fact, have included that as a goal in a new report outlining how to protect residents and businesses from floods. The plan was about a year in the making and comes coincidentally after recent rains from Tropical Storm Lee caused a 20-year flood in parts of the county, according to Howard Saltzman of the county's storm water management division. The plan's public release comes amid news that Howard County was not among the areas in Maryland to receive federal funding for flood-related disaster assistance related to Lee. The declaration by President Obama means Federal Emergency Management Agency money would go to those local …
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
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 …
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Howard County Department of Corrections is running a temporary distribution center from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Military Meals Ready to Eat (MREs) and water are being passed out to families in Howard County who are still without power at the county’s Dorsey Building, 9250 Bendix Road in Columbia. Howard County worked with the Federal and Maryland Emergency Management Agencies to transport water and 750 meals to the site. Each resident still without power is eligible for two MRE meals and 3 liters of water. As of Tuesday morning, officials said 15,000 residents are believed to be without power. The emergency distribution center will stay open until 6 p.m. or until supplies run out. Traffic at the center was slow Monday morning, and some residents expressed concern that, despite press releases, a lack of electricity means those in need were unaware…
For a shower, a meal or help cleaning up, the county and the YMCA are pitching in.
Need a hot shower? Or a meal? Although power has been restored to hundreds of thousands of residents in Maryland, as of Monday night more than 17,000 Howard County residents have been without power for three days--and could be in the dark until Friday or Saturday. The YMCA of Central Maryland and Howard County are both offering basic services to residents who have been without electricity and the comforts and necessities that come with it. The YMCA is opening 11 wellness centers to all residents, members and non-members. At the shelters, according to a release, people will have the opportunity for hot showers and a little relaxation in an air-conditioned building. For information about a nearby center, visit the YMCA online or call 410-837…
39.23632
-76.82901
9250 Bendix Rd, Columbia, MD
/articles/howard-county-residents-in-need-get-the-basics-from-county-ymca
/locations/5223080
Mall manager Katie Essing: “We felt like we were doing the right thing overall.”
A spokeswoman for the Mall in Columbia defended the decision to keep the mall open most of Saturday amid tropical storm warnings, saying mall officials kept in close consultation with Howard County government. Mall manager Katie Essing said she spoke with Howard County emergency officials often during the storm and they did not object to the mall staying open until 9 p.m. Saturday, its normal hours, though it ended up closing early. Essing said the mall closed at 7 p.m. because Howard County transit services were shutting down at 6 p.m.--a service many mall employees relied upon. The decision by mall officials to stay open came under fire in a fierce controversy online. The mall’s Facebook post Saturday mid-morning urged followers to “stop…
Monday, August 29, 2011
BGE said some customers will be out of power until Saturday.
Thirty-five hours after the most intense winds and rain from Hurricane Irene, more than 20,200 homes in Howard County are without power, according to state officials. At a press conference Monday afternoon, Gov. Martin O’Malley said government and BGE were working to give people better estimates of when they could expect power. But, he said, “There are some people who are going to be without electricity for a long period of time—several days.” About 680,000 people were without power at the height of outages. Since then, BGE has restored service to about half of them. But the other half are asking on Twitter and Facebook: “When is my power going to be restored?” “The way we determine restoration is to critical customers first, and public …
Gov. Martin O’Malley says some residents may be in the dark for days.
More than 450,000 households in Maryland remained without power 35 hours after peak rain and winds from Hurricane Irene hit the state, and the Baltimore area could experience outages until Friday, officials said Monday. “We have not stopped working since the storm hit,” Gov. Martin O'Malley said from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency’s Reisterstown headquarters. But many remained in the dark. "There are some people who are going to be without electricity for a long period of time—several days,” he said. “We will try our best to give you better estimates so you can make accommodations.” Peak power outages hit Sunday, with 822,000 homes' electricity knocked out by winds of up to 65 mph and heavy rain. Wind gusts peaked at 85 mph. BGE…
Schools without power will not be open.
Updated: 4:57 p.m. Howard County school officials have announced that school will be open Tuesday, even as power hasn't been restored to all of its schools. As of 4 p.m., 12 county schools were without power. Any schools without power will be closed, and school officials are encouraging parents to watch the school's site for updated school information. Also, athletic practices will be held at all high schools tomorrow, even if the school is closed due to power outage. "We have games scheduled for Friday," says Athletics Coordinator Mike Williams in a press release. "We want to make sure all teams have adequate and equitable practice time." For the list of schools without power, click here. Parents and students said Monday they were …
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Latest BGE numbers report nearly 33,000 in the county are without power.
Almost 33,000 Howard County residents were without power Sunday in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene but county officials said other services would return to normal. County government announced it would resume operations, with daily scheduled activities starting Monday. “Critical County services have been working throughout the hurricane,” said Howard County Executive Ken Ulman in a press release. “And, now that we are in recovery mode, I am pleased that the services residents rely on to help get back to normal are back on schedule.” Police are still dealing with road closures and traffic-light intersections without power, said department spokesperson Elizabeth Schroen. “Route 40 remains without power at several intersections,” Schroen told…
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