Hurricane Irene

BGE sincerely thanks each and every one of its 1.2 million residential and business customers for displaying patience and understanding through BGE's massive restoration efforts following the widespread and devastating effects of Hurricane Irene. Please know that we appreciate the intense frustration that results from being without electric service, as daily tasks become progressively more challenging without power into our homes and businesses. We also understand that many routines and lives were interrupted as families, neighbors and friends came to the aid of those who experienced outages.

I have to take BGE at its word that it was prepared to restore service in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene. However, BGE clearly had problems, at least in our neighborhood, all summer. This is what we experienced in Northwest Baltimore city: June 9 - Lost power at 8:30 p.m. Power was out for just over 12 hours and was restored at 9 a.m. on June 10. June 10 - After a whole 10 hours with electricity, we lost our power again at 7 p.m. That time it was only out for about 2 hours.

Thanks to Hurricane Irene and the town's first evacuation since 1985, the number of visitors to Ocean City for summer 2011 may fall just short of last year's total. According to estimates from the Ocean City Department of Tourism, the town hosted 4,086,639 visitors from Memorial Day weekend though Labor Day. Last year during the same period, there were 4,108,725 visitors. The difference is less than 1 percent, which would give the city a fairly flat summer, despite such high profile events at The Dew Tour.

Editor: I wish to acknowledge and commend the Town of Bel Air crew for their quick response to the clean up of branches and tree limbs after Hurricane Irene. Many homeowners spent most of that Sunday trying to get their yards back into shape. Everyone had some sort of a brush pile out by the curb. Some were small, some were big, (mine was huge!). The crew showed up at 8 a.m. that Monday morning with their heavy equipment and chain saws. The supervisor overheard my phone message to Public Works about a 60-year-old tree which had grown on town property that was now down in my front yard.

Just over a day after it finished a massive effort to restore power knocked out by Hurricane Irene, BGE said it had returned electricity to more than 23,000 customers affected by Tuesday's heavy rains. Outages began Tuesday morning, the utility said, adding that it expected new outages to continue until the heavy rains leave Central Maryland. About 2,600 customers remained without power at 5 p.m. Tuesday, BGE said. Baltimore Gas & Electric warned that trees weakened by Irene could fall on power lines and other equipment even after the rains end. Irene caused 750,000 BGE customers to lose power, according to the utility, which came under fire from ratepayers and public officials over its preparedness and response.

I enjoyed reading Steven Grossman's recent op-ed in which he cleverly pointed out the absurdity of anti-science, creationist-thinking public figures who have a propensity for blaming natural disasters on political enemies ("Hurricane Irene: an almighty wind?" Sept.1). For example, big spending government, gays, lesbians and pro-choice folks were among those who, through the years, have been accused by elected officials (Rep. Michele Bachmann) or televangelists (Pat Robertson, Jerry Falwell, etc.)

As always at this time of year, it is difficult to believe that summer is winding down. Most residents are back in town. Schools are in session. Traffic has resumed on Roland Avenue, Cold Spring Lane and the narrow, cut-through streets in Roland Park. Residents who have been away may notice some changes in and around Roland Park. Hurricane Irene toppled a number of large, old trees in the canopy that defines the area. Fortunately, no planned removal of mature trees occurred this summer in the neghborhood, as happened downtown for the Grand Prix.

More than a week after Hurricane Irene blew through Maryland, power has been restored to almost all public schools in Baltimore, Baltimore County and Anne Arundel County. In Baltimore County, Winfield Elementary is closed Tuesday because it doesn't have power, and in the city, Lockerman Bundy Elementary is also closed to students, the systems said. Lockerman Bundy staff should report to Mary Ann Winterling Elementary. Irene played havoc with the schedules of educators, parents and students, as schools lost, gained, and in some instances re-lost power from day to day. Text NIGHTLIFE to 70701 to sign up for Baltimore Sun nightlife and music text alerts

Steven Grossman's op-ed ("Hurricane Irene: an almighty wind? Sept. 1) should be savored, but, of course, Hurricane Irene did carry a message. That message is conveyed most clearly if it is combined with the evidence carried by other phenomena such as recent wildfires in Texas, the flooding of much of Pakistan, drought in the American Southwest, drought in Russia leading to a rise in food prices worldwide, melting glaciers, the disappearance of the...

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House estimated on Monday that Hurricane Irene will cost federal taxpayers $1.5 billion in disaster relief, further ballooning a government account that was already the focus of fresh partisan friction between President Barack Obama and Congress. The preliminary estimate, released by White House budget director Jacob Lew, is on top of $5.2 billion needed for other recent disasters, including tornadoes that leveled much of Joplin, Mo. Lew said the $1.5 billion should last through next year.