Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) today announced that customers should anticipate extended and widespread power outages lasting several days once Hurricane Irene begins to impact Central Maryland sometime tomorrow afternoon or evening.

Given Hurricane Irene’s current track, BGE is planning for the potential of 500,000 or more customer outages beginning as early as Saturday afternoon. More than 850 out-of-state and contract linemen, tree personnel and support staff have either arrived or are expected to arrive today and tomorrow in advance of the hurricane’s full impact, with an additional 200 overhead linemen requested. In total, approximately 3,700 personnel are prepared to engage in power restoration efforts.

Hurricane Irene is expected to bring sustained winds over 40 miles per hour with gusts over 60 miles per hour, a combination that is likely to cause extensive damage to BGE’s electric distribution system due to whole trees and large tree limbs falling onto power lines and other equipment. This type of extensive damage and the likelihood of power outages affecting in hundreds of thousands of customers will very likely leave some customers without power for several days. BGE customers are strongly advised to have a plan in place now to protect their families and property in advance of the storm’s arrival. Customers are reminded to stay informed of BGE’s restoration efforts via www.bge.com, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.

“While BGE has proactively requested and obtained out-of-state resources to assist in the restoration effort, it also reminds customers that certain types of work, such as repairs requiring the use of bucket trucks, cannot be safely performed when the wind exceeds 25 miles per hour,” said A. Christopher Burton, senior vice president of gas and electric operations and planning for BGE. “Additionally, it is likely that new outages will occur even once the storm has left the area as some trees weakened by the saturated rain and high wind may not fall until the storm has ended. As a result, customers should be prepared for multiple and extended outages.”

The current track of Hurricane Irene has its peak impact on BGE’s service area from Saturday afternoon through early Sunday morning. Customers could begin to experience outages on Saturday and may experience multiple outages even after the storm has cleared the system on Sunday due to weakened trees and tree limbs that may not fall until after the storm has left the area.

“BGE customers have been or are being contacted via an automated telephone message strongly urging them to have a plan in place now to protect their families and property in advance of the storm’s arrival in Central Maryland,” said Jeannette M. Mills, senior vice president and chief customer officer for BGE. “We are also reminding our customers who are elderly, physically challenged or dependent upon electricity for medical equipment that it is critically important for them to always have alternate arrangements in place in the event they experience an extended power outage. These special needs customers are being contact via automated telephone message as well.”

In addition to visiting BGE’s online Storm Center for important information on how to prepare for an approaching storm, customers should always have basic items on hand in advance of a storm, including the following:

Flashlights – not candles

Fresh batteries

Battery operated clock radio

Corded telephone

Fully charged cell phone

Non-perishable foods

Blankets

Customers are always reminded to stay away from downed power lines and to report them immediately by calling 1-410-685-0123. Power outages should be reported by calling BGE’s automated system at 1-877-778-2222.

Customers also should consider filling the fuel tanks of their vehicles in the event a power outage affects service to neighborhood gas stations. For customers who rely on well water, filling a bathtub with water in advance of severe weather is strongly encouraged. Customers using generators should follow the manufacturers’ instructions and be sure to locate generators in well-ventilated areas.

BGE’s restoration priorities are public safety issues and critical facilities, such as 911 centers, hospitals and pumping stations. Then restoration is generally scheduled so that the greatest number of customers can be restored as quickly and as safely as possible. However, in cases of extended power outages, consideration is also given to customers who have been without service for the longest.

In addition to monitoring current and approaching weather conditions which could result in service interruptions, BGE regularly conducts emergency training drills during which all aspects of storm related service restoration are tested. BGE also reviews its Electric Delivery Emergency Response Plan to ensure that storm response procedures are up-to-date and in line with industry standards.

For more information about BGE storm preparation and how customers can protect their families and property, go to www.bge.com.

BGE, www.bge.com, headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland’s largest gas and electric utility, delivering power to more than 1.2 million electric customers and more than 640,000 natural gas customers in Central Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,000 employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. BGE is a subsidiary of Constellation Energy, www.constellation.com, a FORTUNE 500 company also headquartered in Baltimore, with subsidiaries that generate, sell and provide other energy-related services to customers throughout North America.

(YWN Desk – NYC)