BGE sincerely thanks each and every one of its 1.2 million residential and business customers for their patience and understanding through BGE's massive restoration efforts following the widespread and devastating effects ofHurricane Irene.
We thank you for taking the time to prepare for this major storm — your careful planning made it possible for all of us to manage the impact of Irene, one of the most damaging storms in our nearly 200-year history.
And, we thank you for doing your part and reporting outages. By doing so, you helped ensure that we restored power as quickly, safely and efficiently as possible.
Please know that we appreciate the intense frustration that results from being without electric service, as daily tasks become progressively more challenging without power into our homes and businesses.
We also understand that many routines and lives were interrupted as families, neighbors and friends came to the aid of those who experienced outages. This is a testament to the strong community spirit that is found throughout our service area.
We acknowledge that some of our customers were frustrated by receiving multiple estimated times of restoration. However, in a large-scale storm response, it is often difficult to provide definitive restoration times as crews often encounter significantly more damage than previously reported.
The feedback many of you provided on Facebook, Twitter and bge.com — both positive and negative — not only assisted in these efforts, but provided helpful information that will only make them better in the future.
Finally, we thank you for your support. The encouraging words of so many of you lifted the spirits of our workers.
As approximately 6,000 BGE employees, contractors and out-of-state linemen and support staff worked night and day to rebuild our electric system infrastructure, the appreciation of our customers was a constant reminder of the vital importance of our work.
Again, thank you for your patience and understanding. As always, we welcome your questions and comments as we work to continually enhance our service to you and the community.
Kenneth W. DeFontes Jr., president and chief executive officer
Baltimore Gas and Electric Company