Restoration Continues: Dozens Still Without Power

One week after the June 29 storm, and there are still over 4,000 customers in Montgomery County without power.

UPDATED, July 6, 7:50 a.m.

Just over 6,000 Pepco customers remain without power in Montgomery County. Storm debris pickups will begin on July 11.

UPDATED, July 5, 3 p.m.

Just over 14,000 customers remain without power in Montgomery County.

Pepco is working to restore power to the remaining four percent of customers who lost electrical service in the wake of last Friday’s violent storm.  Pepco expects the majority of remaining customers without power to be restored by 11 p.m., Friday, July 6.  However, some of the remaining outages are expected to extend into the weekend.  The estimated restoration time for these customers is 11 p.m., Sunday, July 8.

The extensive damage associated with the remaining outages makes restoring service to these customers especially challenging. This final phase is the result of a very specific restoration process that has to occur in order to restore electricity to localized outages – major power lines must be repaired first before those smaller outages can be restored. This phase is also  the most time-consuming part of the restoration effort in which crews are restoring small pockets and individual customers. When the damage is severe, restoring power to a single customer can take as much time as restoring service to a large group of customers. The majority of remaining outages affect small groups or individual customers. Also, more damage might be identified as crews go deeper into the neighborhoods.

“This is the most challenging phase of our restoration process, tackling  these localized outages and restoring power to the remaining customers without electricity,” said Thomas H. Graham, President, Pepco. “We thank customers for their patience as we enter this phase of work and we want them to know that we are getting to them as soon as we are able. We will not be satisfied or stop our efforts until every customer affected by the storm is restored.”

Pepco encourages customers who are still out of power to report their outages again and reminds them that short outages may occur as crews may need to switch power lines off and on to allow them to work safely to make repairs.

Pepco has about 2,900 personnel working on the restoration effort.

• About 1,900 field restoration personnel including:
• 800 power line personnel from out of state;
• 500 tree trimming personnel;
• 400 overhead line contractors;
• 145 internal Pepco and Delmarva Power line crew members; and
• 70 internal underground and substation personnel.
• In addition, about 245 personnel are mobilized to answer customer calls and about 750 personnel are supporting the restoration effort in other roles.
• Pepco reminds customers that if they see crews who are not actively engaged in restoring power, the crews are either:
• Waiting for electrical equipment to be de-energized or energized before working or moving on to the next job,
• Waiting for materials to arrive that were requested after surveying onsite damage, or
• Reviewing orders for the next assignment.

UPDATED, July 5, 9:30 a.m.

There are now just over 18,000 customers in Montgomery County without power, according to outage maps.

UPDATED, July 5, 7 a.m.

Just over 19,000 Montgomery County customers without power, according to Pepco’s online outage maps.

Programs and activities in Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will resume today, Thursday, July 5. However, all activities and programs are canceled in 10 schools that still do not have power. The schools and facilities without power are:

Beall Elementary School
Blair Ewing Center
Chevy Chase Elementary School
Farmland Elementary School
Gaithersburg Middle School
Northwood High School
Olney Elementary School
Rocking Horse Road Center
Stonegate Elementary School
Washington Grove Elementary School
Julius West Middle School

High school summer courses at regional centers will resume today at Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS, Clarksburg HS and Churchill HS. The daily schedule will be extended to make up for lost instructional time at these schools. Northwood HS remains WITHOUT POWER and programs at this school are cancelled for today.

Other summer school programs, some of which were slated to begin this week, will start on Monday, July 9. This includes Elementary Regional Summer School,ELO SAIL, Middle School Extended Year programs, Extended School Year forspecial education programs and Head Start summer programs.

Community use of school buildings will resume today in schools that have power.This includes summer camps, recreation programs and daycare programs.

MCPS administrative offices are open but employees who work in facilities that do not have power are not required to report. Currently the Rocking Horse Road Center is without power.

An updated list of schools without power will be posted on Friday morning.

UPDATED, July 4, 9:45 p.m.

The number of Pepco customers without power is down to just over 27,000 in Montgomery County as of 9:45 p.m. For more information from Montgomery County visit the county’s web site: www6.montgomerycountymd.gov/apps/News/press/PR_details.asp?PrID=8657

UPDATED, July 4, 4 p.m.

Just over 36,000 Pepco customers are without power in Montgomery County as of 4 p.m.

UPDATED July 4, 10 a.m.

According to Pepco’s outage map, there are still over 43,000 customers in Montgomery County without power. A heat advisory is in effect for noon – 9 p.m. too.

UPDATED July 3, 4:17 p.m.

There are now just over 67,000 Pepco customers without power in Montgomery County, according to Pepco’s outage map. Montgomery County officials have just announced that some libraries will be open on July 4 to help residents keep cool.

The following libraries and community recreation centers will be open during their normal operating hours as cooling, drop-in locations:

• Mid-County Community Recreation Center, 2004 Queensguard Rd., Silver Spring, 240-777-6820 – open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• White Oak Community Recreation Center, 240-777-6940 – open from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
• Bethesda Library, 7400 Arlington Rd., 240-777-0970 – open from noon to 8 p.m.
• Wheaton Library, 11701 Georgia Ave., 240-777-0678 – open from noon to 8 p.m.

The county is also operating a cooling shelter for those residents who are still without power in their homes at Richard Montgomery High School, 250 Richard Montgomery Drive, Rockville. Due to a decrease in demand for overnight cooling shelters in the county, as power continues to be restored to area residences, the White Oak Community Recreation Center at 1700 April Lane, is no longer needed to provide 24-hour shelter accommodations and will close at 9 p.m. on Tuesday, July 3. The White Oak Community Recreation Center will continue to operate today and tomorrow during its regularly scheduled hours of 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.

In addition, the Germantown Aquatic Center in the South Germantown Regional Park, 18000 Central Park Circle, Boyds, will remain open on July 4 until 6 p.m. All other aquatic centers and outdoor pools will operate on normal schedules on July 4.

The MC311 Call Center will remain open on July 4 from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Reach the MC311 Call Center by calling 311 or visiting www.mc311.com.

Programs and activities in Montgomery County Public Schools will partially resume on Thursday, July 5, although some schools may still be without power. High school summer courses at regional centers will resume on Thursday, July 5 and the daily schedule will be extended to make up for lost instructional time. Other summer school programs slated to begin this week, including ELO SAIL and Extended School Year programs, will start on Monday, July 9.

A list of schools without power will be published on Thursday morning on the MCPS website (www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org) and on MCPS TV. The list will also be available on the MCPS Information Line at 301-279-3673.

UPDATED July 3, 7 a.m.

Pepco indicates on its outage maps that over 77,000 customers in Montgomery County remain without power.

There are approximately 140 intersections without working stoplights in Montgomery County. Motorists are reminded to approach all intersections without a working stoplight as a four-way stop.

A partial listing of primary intersections without working stoplights include:

-Cabin John Pkwy & Mac Arthur Blvd
-Columbia Blvd & Georgia Ave(MD97) & Seminary Rd
-Forest Glen Rd(MD192) & Georgia Ave(MD97)
-Little Falls Pkwy & River Rd(MD190)
-Old Georgetown Rd(MD187) from Tuckerman Lane to Democracy Blvd
-E Gude Dr & Frederick Rd(MD355) & W Gude Dr
-Falls Rd & Wootton Parkway

HOV lane restrictions have been lifted on I-270 for the second day in a row to help with the commute.

UPDATED July 2, 9:25 p.m.

Just over 97,000 Pepco customers in Montgomery County remain without power, according to the outage maps.

UPDATED July 2, 10:45 a.m.

Just over 134,000 Pepco customers are still without power in Montgomery County, including Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz who noted that several Gaithersburg communities (sections of West Riding and Bennington) remain without electricity. Power crews are arriving in the D.C. area from other areas of the country to assist Pepco with restoration efforts. The crews are using the Montgomery County Fairgrounds in Gaithersburg as a staging place. Montgomery County’s government offices are open today and residents are encouraged to use the MC311 service.

UPDATED July 1, 3:50 p.m.

WSSC lifted mandatory water restrictions for all its customers at noon on July 1. Shortly before 4 p.m., Pepco’s outage maps indicated over 188,000 customers in Montgomery County were still without power. You can find more storm updates by visiting Montgomery County’s website at www.montgomerycountymd.gov. Meteorologists are now calling the June 30 thunderstorm, with its straight line winds, a “derecho.”

UPDATED June 30, 6:34 p.m.

The cleanup continues in Montgomery County where over 222,000 Montgomery County Pepco customers are without power after severe storms and high winds whipped through the area overnight.

Winds in excess of 70 miles per hour uprooted trees and blew down limbs, which brought down numerous power lines and broke crossarms and poles. Officials are reporting widespread property damage and a 71-year old woman was killed in Montgomery County when a Maple tree fell through the bedroom of her Silver Spring House.

Due to the widespread damage and the large number of outages, Pepco officials said the power restoration effort is expected to take several days. Critical customers who need electricity for life support equipment are advised to seek shelter where power is available.

“As soon as the storm passed, we had crews starting to assess the damage,” said Thomas H. Graham, President, Pepco Region. “We’ll continue conducting a comprehensive assessment, which we’ll use to strategically deploy crews. We’ll work full force and around the clock until every customer is restored.”

Crews will be working in less than ideal conditions as the weather forecast calls for record high temperatures and more storms are predicted.

The utility is calling for crews from other utilities to assist with restoring service. However, the large magnitude of the storm has left utilities with millions of customers without electric service from the Midwest through the Mid-Atlantic regions. It is likely that crews who are able to assist will have to travel days to arrive.

Pepco’s plan for restoring power begins by targeting wires serving critical infrastructure, such as hospitals, fire stations, water filtration plants and police stations, as well as those serving the largest number of customers.

While restoration efforts are underway, police are warning motorists to treat dark intersections as four-way stops and to be on the lookout for fallen trees. Five hundred of 800 traffic lights are out throughout the county.

The Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission (WSSC) has also issued mandatory water restrictions for all Montgomery and Prince George’s County customers, residential and commercial.

—Stop all outside water use – no watering lawns, shrubs, flowers; no —-washing cars, no topping off swimming pools
—Use water only as necessary – i.e., shorter showers and turn off faucets after washing hands
—Limit flushing toilets (do not flush after every use)
—Postpone using washing machines and dishwashers.

Last night’s storms knocked out power to WSSC’s two water filtration plants and other facilities. Crews from BG&E and PEPCO are working to restore power.

Organizers of the AT&T National have announced that the course is closed today to spectators and volunteers. Tickets will be honored tomorrow (July 1).

Montgomery College is closed because it has no power. All activities at Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) buildings are canceled today (June 30). Due to storm damage Rock Creek Regional Park at Lake Needwood, Cabin John Regional Park and Wheaton Regional Park are closed today. This includes all facilities within those parks. Permit holders may contact park permits on Monday to reschedule or obtain a refund.

Don’t forget to let Pepco know if your power is still out: 1.877.737.2662 and please check on your neighbors, especially the elderly.

With temperatures expected to reach over 100 degrees today in parts of Maryland and more storms anticipated later today, state officials are sharing a few safety tips and encouraging those of you with power to open up your homes to friends and family who have lost power:

––Drink plenty of water and avoid alcoholic beverages
—If you are without power, visit a friend or family’s house with air conditioning
—If you are without power, visit a library, mall or other public location with air conditioning
—If you are without power, visit a local cooling center
—Stay away from downed wires
—NEVER operate a generator indoors
—Avoid the use of candles—use flashlights instead
—When a traffic light is out, treat it as a 4-way stop
—If your power is out, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed to avoid food spoilage.

A Verizon said as power is restored some of its services will be restored too.

“Verizon appreciates customers’ patience as we work to restore their services after the violent storms that ripped through the Washington met area last night,” said Sandy Arnette, Verizon Public Relations Manager. “Verizon employees are focused on a safe and thorough effort to restore services to our customers as quickly as possible in the storms’ aftermath.”

A Lowe’s home store employee that within 30 minutes of its 6 a.m. opening on June 30 the store sold out of generators. It is also out of gas-powered chainsaws, battery-operated fans, battery-operated radios and flashlights.

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