Last weekend's historic blizzard left thousands of Harford County residents in the dark after heavy snow and ice on tree limbs caused power outages throughout the region.

But there is a possibility the area may be hit with new outages from more snow forecast Tuesday and Wednesday.

About 4,661 of Baltimore Gas and Electric Company's 100,328 customers in Harford County lost power during the weekend storm.

As of Monday afternoon, however, fewer than 25 BGE customers in Harford were still without power.

"We expect to have the vast majority back by late tonight, but there could be some that extend until Tuesday," Linda Foy, spokeswoman for BGE, said Monday afternoon. "As we get down to smaller numbers, the work becomes more tedious and more time consuming."

Foy said BGE is continuing to monitor the weather and also identifying available resources for Tuesday's storm.

"We have a full contingent of employees engaged in the restoration process," Foy said. "We will be making any adjustments necessary."

Crews from Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio were enlisted to aid BGE's restoration efforts.

Meanwhile, in the northeastern region of Harford County, Bridget Shelton, spokeswoman for Delmarva Power, said the company did not have any significant damage in Harford County related to the weather.

Delmarva serves more than 5,200 customers in Harford County, and about 100 lost power Saturday morning. But all of the customers affected by the storm had their power restored by Saturday night, Shelton said.

"Our system held up pretty well through this nor'easter because, again, we fortunately did not have problems in the inland area," Shelton said Monday. "The problems we had with widespread outages in our service territory were largely in lower shore Maryland and lower Delaware."

Shelton believes those outages mainly resulted from the slight temperature difference.

"In the first four to five hours of the storm, we had ice buildup on lines in the coastal areas where it was slightly colder," Shelton said.

Shelton said Delmarva is also adequately prepared to handle Tuesday's tentative storm with full complements of linemen and troublemen ready to go out and restore power.

"We're fully prepared," Shelton said. "We were prepared for this past weekend. We'll stay prepared, of course."

Both Foy and Shelton also advised customers to be prepared as well.

"Anytime you have big storms headed in this direction, you could be without power," Shelton said. "So preparation is a two-way street."

Shelton warned people to be careful around tree limbs, which are heavy with snow and ice.

"They're weak due to the moisture that we've had. They can fall and come in contact with our wires. Stay away from downed power lines and damaged power lines," Shelton said. "That is just a must and call the company emergency outage line and report that downed line as soon as you see it so we can get out there and make it safe."

The emergency line for Delmarva Power is 1-800-898-8042 and BGE's number is 1-877-778-2222.

Pad-mounted transformers and switches should be kept clear of ice and snow so that restoration crews can locate the equipment and gain access, Foy said.

Foy also reminded people to avoid gas and electric meters and attached equipment while shoveling.

Meters should be kept clear of snow and ice buildup to prevent the devices from malfunctioning and possibly interfering with service.

When clearing ice and snow from around meters, it is best to use a broom instead of a shovel, Foy said.

Customers with electric heat pumps should also clear snow and ice away from the heat pump to allow the unit to function properly, according to a press release from BGE.

Residents with in-ground swimming pools should also mark them because personnel who may have to walk through backyards to access equipment can avoid walking on pool covers, which may become unstable and collapse because of snow buildup.

Residents should always have an emergency survival kit, which includes extra blankets, corded telephone, fully charged cell phone, flashlights with fresh batteries, a battery-powered radio, bottled water, nonperishable food and emergency numbers.

"We want our customers to also be prepared and be as comfortable as possible," BGE's Foy said.

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