After Wicked Weather, Power Outages Persist For Some Into The Weekend

BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Thousands of people in the region remain without power. It's been almost three full days since a wicked ice storm knocked out power to tens of thousands.

Derek Valcourt has more on the intense effort to get everyone back online.

Maryland utility companies have made some major strides in restoring power, but it is possible there will be a small number of people who will spend yet another night in the dark.

It's been a nonstop effort to address the tens of thousands of customers who lost power when Tuesday's overnight ice storm caused branches and even massive trees to come crashing down.

Irene Gersh lost power at her Pikesville home.

"We went and spent the night at our friend's and came home and it was still dark and then I was harassing BGE guys all day long," she said.

WJZ found crews hard at work throughout Maryland Friday. Carroll, Frederick and Baltimore counties were all among the hardest hit by outages.

In Harford County, generators were running nonstop on Moore's Road, while crews worked to repair the damage done by nearby pine trees.

Many homeowners are relying on fireplaces to get them through the freezing temperatures.

Many of those who don't have fireplaces or generators are staying with friends or family--not willing to spend another night in the cold.

BGE is begging for patience from customers. Their storm center has been bustling with activity ever since the ice started falling. More than 2,000 staff and contractors are working long shifts on the company's behalf.

Executives say they are sympathetic to customers still without electricity.

"And many of our employees are leaving homes that are also without power, so we absolutely do walk a day in their shoes," said Steve Woerner, BGE COO.

The help Irene Gersh had been waiting days for came moments after our arrival.

"Now it doesn't seem like it was so terrible. But 10 minutes ago, it was really bad," she said.

In total, about 13,000 people are still without power statewide.

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