BGE is meeting with city leaders on November 7 to talk about how they’re prepping for storms after a summer of frustrating power outages. Residents want answers on what can be done to avoid the chaos from future storms.
Here are the highlights:
- BGE representatives will meet city leaders on November 7 to discuss storm preparation.
- City officials will inquire about BGE’s plans following recent power outages caused by microburst storms.
- Many Bowie residents experienced prolonged power outages during the summer storms.
- Residents faced food spoilage and had to rely on cooling centers and neighbors for basic needs.
- Frustration among residents stemmed from delays in power restoration updates from BGE.
- BGE deployed crews from out of state, including Kentucky, to assist with the cleanup efforts.
- City leaders aim to discuss strategies to mitigate future storm damage.
- Residents can attend the meeting in person or watch it online via the city’s YouTube channel.
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BGE to Update City on Storm Preparation
Representatives from BGE will meet city leaders at their November 7 council meeting at 8pm at City Hall. City officials plan on asking BGE how they're preparing for future storms following a summer rife with uncommon power outages.
When a series of microburst storms in July impacted most of the BGE service area, many Bowie residents went without power for days. Updates from BGE often indicated power restoration was imminent only to be delayed day after day.
Many residents lost perishable food, thinking power would return sooner. Others were left without AC and had to use city cooling centers multiple days in a row, or charge their phones at neighbors' homes.
The confusion and delays left many residents frustrated with BGE. For its part, the service provider indicated most of its service sector was badly impacted by the unusually strong storms, and that they deployed hundreds of crews from out of state to support the labor-intensive clean up.
Bowie residents reported crews from as far as Kentucky working to restore power on their streets. Workers often went door to door to provide in person updates as they made progress clearing hundreds of downed trees and fallen branches to access power lines and repair poles.
City leaders are expected to ask BGE what can be done to mitigate damage from future storms, which have become increasingly worse year to year.
Residents can participate in person at the meeting or view the meeting online at the city's YouTube channel.
The image is from a WTOP article on a summer tornado that touched down in Bowie. Read the full article here.