'A Shower of Sparks' in Valley Mede
The oft-in-the-dark neighborhood again struggles with power outages. And, this time, fire.
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Utility trucks were working on the power lines in the Valley Mede neighborhood Monday afternoon, according to resident Monica Cortada.
When a branch fell onto a power line near her home Friday night she said, "It caused a shower of sparks and a small fire that fused the fallen branch into a pine tree."
The storm that caused the damage, however, also helped curb a potentially more hazardous situation.
"The rain put out the fire before the fire trucks got here," she said. "It was pretty scary!" To add to the problems, "Power went out while I was on the landline with 911 to tell them about the fire," she said.
"Amazingly," she said, her power was only out for an hour. Across the street, Cortada said, power was restored at about 3 p.m. Monday.
Valley Mede is one of several neighborhoods that, according to some residents, has been plagued with unreliable service from BGE. In February, a complaint signed by more than 100 residents in Valley Mede, Font Hill, Dunloggin and nearby neighborhoods led to an investigation into BGE's service in the area.
A spokesperson for the Public Service Commission said the investigation should be complete by the end of the year.
Tom Binaut
9:52 am on Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Good to know some fellow residents of Valley Mede have power. Living on the edge of one grid I have seen two other grids come up as of Monday afternoon. Now, Tuesday morning, hoping it will be our turn to have power again at least by tonight. Valley Mede residents have met at different times in different groups with BGE reps over the past several years. I was part of one group. There have been some improvements, but when it matters most it remains to be seen if BGE is capable of delivering. I say that after 14 years here and numerous outages even when most of the area is unaffected, as well as after major weather events.
cathy eshmont
1:43 am on Saturday, July 7, 2012
Valley Mede: The PSC has scheduled the Howard County night hearing on the referenced petition. The date is 24 July, 7-10PM, in the George Howard Building. More details on FB 'Reliability4HOCO'. Please come out, prepared to testify. What you say will impact the investigation, the final report, and the hearing scheduled for 14 Feb 2013. Let your voices be heard!