Saturday, October 27, 2012
Hurricane Sandy slowed down overnight, but picked up speed again Saturday morning.
Sandy slowed to a tropical storm overnight, but an Air Force aircraft found hurricane-force winds again Saturday morning, according to the National Weather Service. Hurricane Sandy is a Category I hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 75 mph, according to NWS. The difference between Sandy and a tropical storm at this point is 2 mph, with 74 mph being the lowest speed that registers as Category I. In the face of Hurricane Sandy's northward movement, NWS has issued a flood watch for Prince George's and Montgomery counties, much of Maryland and the DC metro area starting late Sunday through Tuesday morning. Projections for Sandy show it making landfall late Monday between the Delmarva Peninsula and northern New Jersey, NWS says. The …
Thursday, August 2, 2012
A strong storm swept through Prince George's County Thursday afternoon affecting thousands of Pepco customers.
This story was updated at 6:34 p.m. More than 2,500 Pepco customers lost power because of an unexpected storm that hit the Prince George’s County area Thursday afternoon. According to Pepco’s outage map, nearly 2,000 of those customers are located in the Upper Marlboro area near Crane Highway. As of 6:30 p.m., a couple of hours after the storm swept through the county, 2,500 Prince George's Pepco customers were without power, according to a spokesperson. BGE’s website showed 25 people in the county without power at the same time. Bob Hainey, a spokesman for Pepco, told Patch four to five major power lines in the area were disrupted by the storm causing the outages. The majority of customers should have power restored by 8 or 9 p.m. tonight…
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Hundreds are displaced due to lingering storm damage, customers are set to pay Pepco for power outages, and more this week from Prince George's County.
Former Hyattsville Cop Sues City in Sexual Harassment Case A former Hyattsville police officer has filed a federal lawsuit alleging systemic sexual discrimination and sexual harassment within the city’s police department, including charges that she was sexually assaulted by a ranking officer while attending a Fraternal Order of Police conference. Nine Charged in Prince George's-Arizona Marijuana Ring Homeland Security special agents Wednesday charged nine people in an Arizona-Maryland marijuana trafficking and money-laundering ring, dismantling the organization, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Riverdale Towers Building Condemned, Displacing 200 Residents County officials condemned a 65-unit apartment building in Riverdale Park this …
Monday, July 2, 2012
Thousands remain without power nearly three days after severe storms lashed the region.
Update, 5:41 p.m.: At last count, about 3,940 homes and businesses were still without power in College Park zip codes (though again, that number includes some customers in neighboring towns). Countywide, the number had ticked down to 46,638, or about 21 percent Meanwhile, the state's death toll since Friday's storms climbed to six, and the Prince George's County Fire Department said that it had received three times as many emergency calls as normal on Saturday. Reports of price gouging are also trickling in across the state. If you spot any suspiciously high prices at gas stations, grocery stores, or hotels in the area, drop an email to johnd@patch.com. Update, 1:01 p.m.: We're told that a number of households in the Berwyn neighborhood of…
Tell us in our poll and in comments how you think Pepco and BG&E performed after Friday night's storm.
In the aftermath of the snowstorm that hit Maryland in January of 2011, Pepco was slammed for poor response time and communication when around 172,000 Maryland residents were left without power for several days. When Hurricane Irene hit later that year, some thought Pepco had improved its techniques but criticized Baltimore Gas and Electric for its poor service. Now, many Maryland residents are facing outages that could last until Friday or beyond due to the violent storm June 29, according to Pepco officials. In 2011, the American Customer Satisfaction Index gave Pepco a rating of 54 out of 100, but this year, that rating climbed to 69. Is the increased rating deserved? Have you been satisfied with BG&E and Pepco's performance and …
Are you retreating to the AC of a coffee shop? Or perhaps headed to the pool?
By now, we've all heard the numbers: thousands upon thousands of people are without power across the area thanks to Friday's storms, and it's expected to take a good long while for that number to reach zero. The outages could scarcely have come at a worse time, either, with daytime highs expected to be in the 90s through the end of the week. So for those of you without power, how are you waiting out the outage (or beating the heat)? Did you head to work as usual? If you're off for the day, are you camped out at a cooling center, taking a dip in the pool, or just staking out a nice seat in the shade? Let us know in the comments, and feel free to share any intel about great air conditioned spots you've come across today.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Due to power outages affecting the entire metro region, Prince George's County government and the federal government are allowing employees to take liberal leave Monday.
The commute Monday morning may be harder than average with power outages, so offices in both Prince George's County and the federal government are allowing some employees to choose whether they wish to take the trek into work. According to a release from Prince George's County, non-essential government employees can take liberal leave Monday, while according to an alert from the county, federal agencies in DC are also allowing employees to take unscheduled leave or unscheduled telework in the morning. But employees should contact their supervisors to confirm if leave is available to them. Will you be commuting to work in the morning or are you taking the day off?
Crews are being brought in from Oklahoma and the Carolinas to assist in repairs, Pepco Region President Tom Graham said Sunday.
It may take more than a week to restore power across the region in the wake of Friday's violent storms, Pepco Region President Tom Graham told WTOP Sunday morning. "We're working as quickly and safely as we can for our customers, but it's hard work. … It's very labor intensive," Graham said in an on-air interview. According to Graham, Pepco's early efforts have been focused on assessment and repairing the supply lines that feed the utility's substations. "Now that those have been solidified—and those resources have really been behind the scenes, working on the property, restoring that service—now you'll see a greater presence in the community from those resources," Graham said. Graham also said that the utility was bringing in mutual …
Saturday, June 30, 2012
Find out where to stay cool in the county.
Update, 1:15 p.m.: More cooling centers have opened across Prince George's County. The Camp Spring Senior Activity Center has lost power and is no longer available. Original Story: With temperatures expected to reach the upper 90s and 137,000 Pepco customers without power around Prince George's County, it's going to be tough to stay cool after Friday night's storm. The county has opened eight cooling stations and five libraries for residents who need a place to cool off: The following Prince George’s County Public Libraries have air conditioning and will be open until 5 p.m.: All county roads are open, but if residents see downed trees they should call the Prince George's County Department of Public Works at 301-324-2710. Also remember to …
Friday night's powerful storm system caused severe damage to trees, utility lines, and buildings.
Friday night's powerful storm system caused severe damage to trees, utility poles, and more than a few buildings across the region. Patch headed out Saturday morning to survey the damage. Have your own photos of the damage left by Friday's storm? Post them here using the "Upload Photos and Videos" button above (login required).
Bailey Henneberg
7:11 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012
Good reminder Steve! more ›