Wind Storm Prompts Governor To Declare State Of Emergency

Potomac Edison says majority of customers in the dark won’t have power back until Sunday.

 

 

Annapolis, Md (KM) Due to the powerful windstorm which swept through Maryland on Friday, Governor Larry Hogan has declared a state of emergency. A statement from his office says this declaration allows the state to coordinate support and provide additional assistance to local jurisdictions.

The high winds which came through the state caused power outages, downed trees and dangerous travel conditions.  Hogan says his administration has directed state agencies, including the Maryland Emergency Management Agency, to respond to the effects of the storm.

Meanwhile, Potomac Edison crews continue their work in restoring electricity to those who are in the dark. Spokesman Todd Meyers says it may be a while before a majority of customers who’ve lost power are back on line. “But we do have a global ETR–sort of an overall ETR, Estimated Time of Restoration–that we’re saying could be midnight Sunday that we’ll have the majority of our customers on,” he says.

“That doesn’t mean we won’t be working round the clock to get customers on. It’s sort of a touch point that shows how much damage, how widespread it’s been,” says Meyers.

He says line crews are hard at work  to bring back the electricity, but the winds won’t stop. “We get the power back on and then new customers go back out because the wind continues to blow,” he says.

As of 12-midnight, the National Weather Service has canceled the High Wind Warning, but a Wind Advisory will remain in effect until 11:00 AM on Saturday.

Meyers says Potomac Edison crews have been working since the winds started to pick up on Thursday evening. “The highest wind speed that I’ve heard so far across the entire ten utilities that First Energy has was in Frederick County and it was 62-miles per hour,” he says. First Energy is the parent company of Potomac Edison.

If you lose power during the weekend or anytime, Potomac Edison says call 1-888-LIGHTSS. That’s also the number to call to report downed power lines.

 

By Kevin McManus