Bowie residents Elizabeth and William Roe received an anniversary present from the electric company Thursday — power.
More than 33 hours after Tuesday’s storm knocked out electricity at the Roes’ residence, Baltimore Gas & Electric Co. finally restored their power at 2:45 p.m. on their 32nd anniversary.
“It was absolutely miserable,” Elizabeth Roe said.
To stay warm during the power outage, the couple burned wood in their fireplace. Once they ran out of wood late Wednesday, they borrowed a line from their next-door neighbor’s generator so they could plug in a space heater. “We put on tons and tons of clothes and did the best we could,” Elizabeth Roe said.
While the Roes made it, their pet cockatiel wasn’t so lucky. “She was elderly, and it was too much for her,” she said.
Roe said power outages in the area are common. “We haven’t been happy with BGE for probably 10 years,” Elizabeth Roe said.
Thousands of BGE customers were still without power as of midday Friday.
“We were luckier than other people in the area,” she said.
BGE spokeswoman Linda Foy said the company is doing its “best to get service on as quickly and as safely as possible.”
