BGE Tackles Energy Restoration Following Tuesday Evening Storms

BALTIMORE, Md. (WJZ) -- Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) crews announced they have restored power to nearly 93% of customers affected by the thunderstorm, heavy rains and high winds that struck central Maryland Tuesday evening. More than 46,000 people have reported outages, according to BGE.

BGE is Maryland's largest natural gas and electricity utility, delivering power to more than 1.25 million electric customers and more than 650,000 natural gas customers in central Maryland.

As of 9:00 am on Wednesday morning, BGE has restored service to approximately 43,000 of their affected consumers. The majority of customers will see service restored by late Tuesday evening; all power restoration is to be completed by early Thursday morning.

"Storms like this can damage power lines and other equipment, and safety is our first priority," said Steve Woerner, BGE president and chief operating officer. "We aim to have all our customers back in service while ensuring our crews are observing all the necessary precautions. We urge customers to also stay safe by staying away from downed wires and other damaged electrical equipment."

Customers are asked to continue to report power outages as well as downed wires to BGE at 877-778-2222. All customers, including those with smart meters, are asked to report their outages.

Customers can use their mobile devices to file a report via bge.com and can follow restoration updates online with the mobile power outage map.

BGE reminds customers using a generator during power outages to follow all manufacturer instructions and to locate the generators in well ventilated areas.