Baltimore area power outages prompt rapid repairs, spill over into Christmas Day
BALTIMORE -- BGE employees worked throughout Christmas Eve to restore power to the more than 100,000 customers who lost it when a winter storm hit Maryland on Friday.
WJZ spoke to people who had loved ones affected by the power outages and had to make other arrangements to stay warm.
"(They were) picking them up and then just dropping them off at some family houses and making sure that they're okay until power came back on and heat," Baltimore resident Jeremy Jimenez said.
By Christmas morning, BGE had managed to restore power to 90 percent of the people who lost it, but the cold temperatures and damage still lingered.
WJZ cameras found downed trees in some areas of Baltimore. There were a few traffic lights out and ice covered many of the roads too.
"I just seen the water, like, in the streets and it's, like, frozen," Baltimore resident Linell Cutchember said.
WJZ talked to people who said they were surprised that it got so cold.
"What really made it unbearable was the wind," Jimenez said. "Luckily, it's not windy today. It's still cold but the wind just makes things that much more unbearable."
The frigid temperatures prompted city officials to open up warming centers and shelters for those vulnerable to the impact of the weather.
Despite the freezing weather, people like Linell Cutchember said they still had a good Christmas.
"Still got to have the holiday spirit and get out, you know, just get out and get back in," Cutchember said.
