BGE ramps up staffing for Maryland's strong storms

BGE officials said they were closely monitoring the forecast and preparing for strong winds and heavy rain on Wednesday. 

Officials said they were expecting the storm to be as strong or stronger than the storm that impacted the Baltimore region on February 16. 

The February wind storm knocked over trees and powerlines, leaving more than 79,000 BGE customers without power across the region. Anne Arundel County saw the most impact, with 21,000 outages reported on the night of the storm. 

According to BGE officials, half of service interruptions during severe storms are caused by falling vegetation like trees and tree limbs. The threat of service interruptions is higher during storms with strong winds.

"Storm response can always be a challenge because storms are unpredictable," said BGE spokesperson Nick Alexopulos.     

In anticipation of Wednesday's storm, BGE increased staffing across the region to ensure crews could respond to power outages quickly and safely. The increased staffing includes 350 mutual assistance personnel. 

"We brought in 350 extra personnel, 250 mutual assistance, and 100 contractors," Alexopulos said. "With this particular system, what we were most concerned about is the wind."

BGE officials said they will prioritize restoring power for public services and other essential services like hospitals and 911 centers. 

"So, like hospitals, pumping stations, that sort of thing," Alexopulos said. "And then we're gonna prioritize the largest outages first, so largest outage, meaning the outages that impact the most number of customers. So when we make the repair, the most number of customers come back online."

BGE says automated equipment is installed across the entire electric system, so if your lights flicker on and off, don't worry, it's intentional.

"What that automated equipment is doing is preventing a sustained outage that would have lasted much longer and required a response from our crews to roll a truck out to that outage, assess the damage, and then make repairs," Alexopulos said.

BGE urges customers to prepare

BGE also urged customers to make some preparations for the forecasted severe weather. 

BGE recommends that customers: 

• Keep flashlights and batteries on hand and avoid using candles or kerosene lamps as they can create a safety hazard
• Make plans for family members with special needs
• Develop a family emergency plan that includes alternative arrangements just in case
• Those who are dependent on electric-powered medical equipment should make alternative arrangements in case of an outage

Customers can report outages on BGE's website, by texting 69243, or by calling 877-778-2222. 

Severe storm forecast 

A line of strong to severe thunderstorms was expected to move into the Baltimore area Wednesday between noon and 5 p.m., according to WJZ's First Alert Weather Team.

The storm was expected to bring damaging wind gusts of 50 to 65 mph, torrential downpours, isolated pockets of hail and the possibility of isolated tornadoes. 

A Wind Advisory was issued around 11 a.m., and full wind restrictions were put in effect for the Bay Bridge, meaning only cars, pickups, flatbed trucks, commercial buses and heavy tractor-trailers can cross.

The weather team says damaging winds will be the greatest threat. 

The line of storms was expected to clear before 6 p.m., though some isolated thunderstorms could develop in Western Maryland in the early evening. Dry conditions will return by 10 p.m., with overnight lows in the 40s.