Power Outages Minimal In Mid-Atlantic Region
REISTERSTOWN, Md. (WJZ/AP/BGE) -- A winter storm that dumped up to 18 inches of snow on the Mid-Atlantic region is causing some power outages as the precipitation changes to an icy mix in some areas.
Delmarva Power reported about 2,700 outages by 10:30 a.m. Thursday, mostly in Cecil County, Md., and New Castle County, Del. That's down from about 4,200 earlier in the day.
Utilities in Washington, Baltimore and other parts of the region report few outages.
BGE only has about 1,000 outages at this point.
More than 1,600 line workers and support staff were mobilized in advance of the storm, including more than 530 line workers from 11 different states. Already deployed line crews are actively repairing damage that occurred Thursday morning and resulted in a few outages.
"As winds increase and precipitation continues today, we thank our customers for their preparedness and their patience as our crews work to safely restore power as quickly as possible," said Carol Dodson, vice president and chief customer officer for BGE.
Crews from 11 different states were in position prior to the storm to supplement BGE power restoration crews. Three regional staging areas are operating in Westminster in Carroll County, M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore City and BWI Airport in Anne Arundel County, in addition to the company's permanent service centers located throughout the central Maryland region. These temporary staging areas serve as regional operations centers and warehouses for the poles, wires and other equipment necessary for restoring power.
Forecasts called for a heavy, wet snow and gusty winds, raising the possibility of widespread power outages. But Maryland Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Angela Bernstein says the early morning snow was fluffier than expected.
She says the area is not out of the woods yet, as precipitation continues to fall and the potential for power outages remains with refreezing.
(Copyright 2013 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
