Power Outages

Power outages hit a plateau early Tuesday morning and began creeping downward, with about 186,000 Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. customers without electricity at noon, according to the company. The company said it has restored power to about 114,000 customers since storm operations began at 10 a.m. Sunday. BGE will assess the damage Tuesday and Wednesday as restoration efforts continue, said spokesman Rob Gould. He said the utility probably wouldn't be able to give an estimate until late Wednesday or Thursday about when all customers would see power restored.

Pardon me, but among the things a big storm stirs, besides high anxiety, are memories of storms from years ago or, in my case, a kind of wonderment about how our ancestors prepared for and survived them. As awed as I am about new technology, I'm often doubly awed that people once got by without the things we take for granted - telephones, televisions, automobiles, central heating and early-warning weather. Certainly, we're in a better place today. Thank you to meteorologists and satellite engineers.

As the eye of Hurricane Sandy loomed a few hundred miles to the southeast and the monster storm churned toward the Mid-Atlantic coast, Marylanders braced for the arrival of a weather system with the potential to be the most damaging to hit the United States in 75 years. Heavy rains and some gale-force winds hit the region Sunday evening, and still heavier rains and hurricane-force gusts were expected to strike late Monday and Monday night. Forecasters said the storm, currently rated as a Category 1 hurricane, would likely cause flash flooding, widespread power outages and treacherous road conditions.

At 9:30 p.m., Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. reported more than 180,000 customers without power. Harford County has the largest number of customers without power — about 48,900 — though Baltimore County was not far behind, with about 47,300 customers without power. Also at 9:30 p.m.: • Pepco, which serves Washington and its Maryland suburbs, was reporting about 15,500 of its customers without power. • Delmarva Power, which serves the Delmarva peninsula, was reporting about 50,000 customers without power in its Maryland service areas at that time.

Harford County continued to brace for the arrival of Hurricane Sandy on Saturday - and for the prospect once severe damage locally from the storm once it arrives in the area as anticipated. Harford County remains under a State of Emergency, put into effect Friday afternoon by County Executive David Craig. A state of emergency was declared throughout Maryland by Gov. Martin O'Malley, also on Friday. The Harford County Division of Emergency Operations also partially activated Friday in preparation for the arrival of Sandy, which is expected reach the area in some form between late Sunday or early Monday, according to forecasts and weather modeling as of Saturday afternoon.

Utility and emergency response officials prepared for the worst Friday as Hurricane Sandy churned northward, readying for nearly a foot of rain, hurricane- or tropical storm-force winds, and power outages that could number in the hundreds of thousands. As Gov. Martin O'Malley declared a state of emergency Friday to ready relief supplies and mobilize the National Guard, Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. officials hurried to muster 2,000 out-of-state utility workers. Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake and county government leaders urged residents to prepare.

Joppatowne officials were forced to postpone Friday night's homecoming football game against Havre de Graceuntil Monday because of a power outage at the school. “I came in at 6:45 [a.m.] and the cafeteria ladies were standing out front. I thought, 'This can't be good,'” Mariners coach John Horgan said. “When I left, BG&E was there with a backhoe, so I don't even know if we could have played last night. I don't know if the power was restored.” Classes were dismissed at 9:15 Friday morning.

Joppatowne High School closed at 9:15 a.m. Friday because of a power outage and the early dismissal forced the cancellation of all after school activities for the day. "All after school and evening activities at Joppatowne High School are cancelled," Teri Kranefeld, manager of communications for Harford County Public Schools, wrote in an email Friday morning, "including the homecoming football game. " The game was cancelled, but not the dance. "However, the homecoming dance scheduled for tomorrow will be held as planned," Kranefeld wrote.

If a hurricane threatens to barrel up the Chesapeake Bay in the next month, many Marylanders will watch the forecast with dread. Memories of spending days without power after Hurricane Irene and the June derecho are fresh and painful. Utilities such as Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. watch the forecast, too, readying forces to assess and repair damage to the grid. To many angry customers, though, utilities' preparations appeared to be lacking in recent storms. But what if there was a way to accurately pinpoint how many power outages a storm might cause?

Generating a solution to power outages With all the crazy weather lately, I'm worried that a big storm or deep freeze could leave us without power for a few days. Even if the worst doesn't happen, I want to be prepared. I know there are different kinds of generators out there — which type is best for a home? Disasters aside, a generator can be handy even for short outages; nobody likes throwing away spoiled milk! You essentially have two choices: an automatic standby model or a portable gasoline generator.