Sporadic, Hours-Long Power Outages Plague Highlandtown Residents; BGE Working To Resolve Problems
BALTIMORE (WJZ) -- Sporadic and hours-long power outages have plagued residents living in Highlandtown for several months.
Many have lost power on some of the hottest days of summer.
"It's kind of that moment when the lights go out and you're like, 'not again,'" Kinsley Ross, the Co-owner of Rust-In-Shine, said.
Ross said she's been forced to close up shop twice because of unexpected power outages.
"And then you're talking to your neighbors, and they have power, but they know that as soon as your power comes on then theirs goes off, that seems to be the trend," Ross said.
Nick Kirley, the President of the Highlandtown Community Association said there were 130 homes without power over the Labor Day weekend for as long as eight hours.
But, he said the outages have been plaguing various streets for the last three months.
"The folks in Highlandtown are really frustrated, like people are angry, and they want information and action to stop the disruption in their lives," Kirley said.
At a virtual community meeting Thursday night, representatives from BGE explained why this is happening.
"The vast majority of the problems that you have had have been problems with that cable," a BGE representative said.
This includes short-circuited cables, and issues because of weather -- like a lightning strike -- which over time, weakens the cables.
As a result, BGE said it's going to:
- Replace overhead and underground cables
- Transfer nearly 200 customers to a different circuit to help balance demand
- Inspect overhead electric equipment
- Monitor electric usage data and reliability.
BGE also said that much of this work is already in progress, if not already complete.
Residents and business owners, like Ross, had a chance to weigh-in, and hear some of these improvements first hand.
"I just want to know that they are going to replace and fix anything and give us a timeline," Ross said.
In a statement, BGE said:
"BGE appreciates the opportunity to discuss the community's reliability concerns and to share our ongoing efforts to improve service. We have already begun upgrading and replacing equipment serving Highlandtown and will continue to keep the community informed as this work progresses."
