Reisterstown neighbors frustrated after 7th power outage since June: "It's getting ridiculous"

Summer storms have taken their toll on the state's power grid, causing multiple power outages in some communities.

Neighbors in Reisterstown, Maryland, say they are frustrated after losing power for the seventh time since June.

"This is not sustainable. It's like living in a third-world country," Reisterstown resident Paulette Jones said.

Summer storms left customers in the dark

Jones said she lost power around 4:15 p.m. Monday and it was restored just after 8:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

According to Baltimore Gas & Electric (BGE), about 40,000 customers lost power after the severe thunderstorms and high winds ripped through the state Monday.

Jones said she started counting the outages at her house earlier this summer after calling BGE about repeated problems. 

She said the utility company asked her for specific details about when her power went out and came back on. Jones said she was frustrated because it seemed like BGE wasn't tracking that data.

"The power has been out seven times within the last two months," Jones said. "Sometimes it's restored within two or three hours. Sometimes (it's) within days."

Neighbor warned about frequent outages

When she moved into the neighborhood 10 years ago, Jones said her neighbor warned her about frequent outages, joking that she should buy a generator. While she hasn't bought one yet, Jones said she is looking for power upgrades on her corner.

"The bills have gone up, supposedly to work on the infrastructure, but yet here we are still fighting to have power," Jones said.

One of the worst outages in the neighborhood this year came during a brutal heatwave on July 4.

"I was out for four days, so I could not stay in the heat for four days," Reisterstown resident Glori Northern said. "I went to the Hilton Hotel in Owings Mills with my dog."

Power outages are particularly difficult for Northern, who needs to refrigerate daily medication.

"I would have to fill my bathtub up with ice to keep my medicine refrigerated," Northern said.

BGE evaluating communities with multiple outages

Repeated outages across the state are caused by the increased intensity of the storms and frequency of the weather events, according to BGE.

"In this area, we experienced storms, unfortunately, nearly weekly since the fourth of July. It has been pretty significant," said Dawn White, the Vice President of Electric Operations for BGE.

Some neighbors are wondering what they can do to better prepare their properties to avoid a power outage in the future. They also want to know what BGE is doing to improve the infrastructure and reduce the frequency of these outages.

BGE is evaluating which communities have had multiple outages this summer and focusing on infrastructure upgrades there, according to White.

This effort includes tree trimming and vegetation management as well as replacing poles, cross arms, and lines. White also said BGE is looking at adding distribution automation to "self-heal" the system without sending a crew to a location.

"We are looking at a lot of these customers in particular, specifically in the Reisterstown area where they have experienced multiple interruptions, and we're working to prioritize some of our infrastructure investments there," White said.

If you lost power on Monday evening, BGE said it may take until Wednesday to get the lights back on. About 80% of customers who lost power should be back online by Tuesday night. Most remaining customers should be restored by Wednesday.