UPDATE 2011.08.27 1030 NOAA near real-time hurricane Irene tracker
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UPDATE 2011.08.27 0930 Hurricane Preparedness info from Prince George's County Council District 1, Mary Lehman
(My reformatting to fit this page)
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UPDATE 2011.08.26 1715 MD State Crowd Sourcing web page
iReport Irene allows people across the State of Maryland to provide real-time information about local issues and impacts relating to hurricane Irene to emergency planners and response teams and to allow Maryland residents the opportunity to view reports from across the state.
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UPDATE 2011.08.16 1650: Hurricane Irene Preparedness info from Maryland State District 21, Senator Rosapepe
Hurricane Irene is gaining momentum and is expected to reach our area this weekend. With heavy winds, heavy rain, and flooding, power outages will be possible. Both Pepco and BGE have announced that they will be bringing in extra crews to work around the clock to deal with power outages. If you experience power loss or see downed power lines in your neighborhood, please report them to the numbers below:
Pepcopower outage -- 1-877-Pepco-62 (1-877-737-2662)
downed power lines -- (202) 872-3432
BGE power outage -- 1-800-255-3443
downed power lines -- (410) 685-0123
Make sure you have enough nonperishable food, water and emergency supplies for you and your family for up to 72 hours. Stay tuned to the radio, TV, or internet for updated road and weather information. Please try to stay off the roads and stay home if the hurricane reaches us. This will allow emergency personnel to respond quickly to emergencies. If you must drive, do not drive through standing water, particularly in areas that are more prone to flooding.
For the latest news and alerts from the National Hurricane Center, you can click here: http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/#IRENE
Updates from the Maryland Emergency Management Agency can be found here: https://twitter.com/#!/mema_
Email us if you can't find the help you need, and please pass on this information to any friends, family, or neighbors who might need it.
Senator Jim Rosapepe
Delegate Barbara Frush
Delegate Joseline Peña-Melnyk
Delegate Ben Barnes
21st District Delegation 301-858-3141
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UPDATE 2011.08.26 1600: BG&E Press Release Update
BG&E Planning For the Potential of 500,000 or More Customer Outages Beginning as Early as Saturday Afternoon
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UPDATE 2011.08.26 1545: Hurricane Irene Preparedness info from Maryland State District 23/A Senator Peters
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UPDATE 2011.08.26 0945: Prince George's County Press Release
Family Emergency Plan & Resources for Hurricane Irene
All but a few links in that press release have been fixed by the county.
Here are my tested fixes for the links that are still broken:
www.Ready.gov, Listo.gov, www.redcross.org
ONLINE VULNERABILITY INFO
FEMA ONLINE HAZARD MAPS
NWS STORM-READY
www.facebook.com/redcross
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UPDATE 2011.08.25: Fixed link to BGE’s online Storm Center
Bookmark and watch this post for any updates regarding South Laurel.
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Mayor & City Council of Laurel Press Release, Aug 25, 2011
Office of the City Administrator, Public Information Office
8103 Sandy Spring Road •Laurel, Maryland 20707
(301) 725-5300 ext. 2244 Laurel.md.us • jcollins@laurel.md.us
BG&E Prepares for Hurricane Irene
BALTIMORE, Aug. 24, 2011 – Baltimore Gas and Electric Company (BGE) today announced that it continues to closely monitor Hurricane Irene and is taking proactive action to ensure it is prepared to aggressively respond to widespread and extended power outages should they occur. In addition to reminding all available employees of their storm assignments, the utility is identifying materials, equipment and other resources necessary to restore electric service as safely and as quickly as possible. BGE is also in the process of pre-mobilizing several hundred linemen and support staff from outside of BGE’s service area to supplement its resources. Some of these resources are expected to begin arriving in BGE’s service area today, with more likely to arrive on Thursday and Friday. This proactive action will ensure BGE and its external resources are available to begin restoration work as soon as the storm has cleared Central Maryland and it is safe to do so.
“BGE’s storm leadership has been regularly meeting since earlier this week, discussing Hurricane Irene and its potential impact on BGE’s service area,” said A. Christopher Burton, senior vice president of gas and electric operations and planning for BGE. “BGE’s priority is always to restore electric service as safely and as quickly as possible. However, BGE customers should prepare for the possibility of widespread, extended outages due to heavy rain and wind gusts of up to 50 miles per hour knocking down whole trees and large tree limbs onto power lines. An event of this magnitude could leave some customers without power for multiple days.”
The current track of Hurricane Irene has its peak impact on BGE’s service area from Saturday afternoon through early Sunday morning. Customers could begin to experience outages on Saturday and may experience multiple outages even after the storm has cleared the system on Sunday due to weakened trees and tree limbs that may not fall until after the storm has left the area. Should BGE customers experience storm-related outages, they are encouraged to stay informed of BGE’s restoration efforts via www.bge.com, Twitter, Facebook and Flickr.
“In addition to ensuring it is prepared to address the approaching storm, BGE is proactively attempting to contact customers via automated telephone message, strongly advising them to have a plan in place now to protect their families and property in advance of the storm’s arrival,” said Jeannette M. Mills, senior vice president and chief customer officer for BGE. “BGE customers who are elderly, physically challenged or dependent upon electricity for medical equipment should always have alternate arrangements in place should they experience an extended power outage. Customers using generators should follow the manufacturers’ instructions and be sure to locate generators in well-ventilated areas. Additionally, customers are encouraged to visit BGE’s online Storm Center for important information on how to prepare for an approaching storm.”
Customers should have basic items on hand in advance of a storm, including the following:
- Flashlights – not candles
- Fresh batteries
- Battery operated clock radio
- Corded telephone
- Fully charged cell phone
- Non-perishable foods
- Blankets
Customers also should consider filling the fuel tanks of their vehicles in the event a power outage affects service to neighborhood gas stations. For customers who rely on well water, filling a bathtub with water in advance of severe weather is strongly encouraged.
BGE's restoration priorities are public safety issues and critical facilities, such as 911 centers, hospitals and pumping stations. Then restoration is generally scheduled so that the greatest number of customers can be restored as quickly and as safely as possible. However, in cases of extended power outages, consideration is also given to customers who have been without service for the longest.
In addition to monitoring current and approaching weather conditions which could result in service interruptions, BGE regularly conducts emergency training drills during which all aspects of storm related service restoration are tested. BGE also reviews its Electric Delivery Emergency Response Plan to ensure that storm response procedures are up-to-date and in line with industry standards.
For more information about BGE storm preparation and how customers can protect their families and property, go to www.bge.com.
BGE, www.bge.com, headquartered in Baltimore, is Maryland’s largest gas and electric utility, delivering power to more than 1.2 million electric customers and more than 640,000 natural gas customers in Central Maryland. The company’s approximately 3,000 employees are committed to the safe and reliable delivery of gas and electricity, as well as enhanced energy management, conservation, environmental stewardship and community assistance. BGE is a subsidiary of Constellation Energy, www.constellation.com, a FORTUNE 500 company also headquartered in Baltimore, with subsidiaries that generate, sell and provide other energy-related services to customers throughout North America. ###
