Amid Perry Hall Library Blackout, Staff Remains Calm

John Peige, a contributing Baltimore Sun feature writer, submitted the following article to Patch.

The staff of the remained calm, cool and collected when the lights in the crowded building Tuesday evening.

The outage was the result of a severe thunderstorm that sent a tree limb crashing onto an overhead wire. By about 8:30 p.m. along Honeygo Boulevard had lost power, said Rob Gould, a Baltimore Gas and Electric Co. spokesman.

Darkness had already descended on the Perry Hall area when the violent storm hit. As the intensity of the storm grew, the library's lights flickered for several minutes before a total power failure that plunged the building into darkness.

At the time of the outage, the library’s reading and research areas were busy with patrons. Additionally, a local PTA group was meeting in the building’s large community room, tutoring and business meetings were taking place in the study rooms, and most of the public access computers were in use.

Within seconds after the lights went out, the building’s emergency generator activated and emergency lighting dimly lit the library’s expansive interior.

The library’s staff quickly and effectively reacted to the emergency situation. They maintained a sense of calmness and professionalism throughout the ordeal. They made sure the building’s large electric self-opening doors remained open for easy egress. A library employee was stationed at the doorway to assist anyone and answer any questions regarding the power failure. While the computers and all electronic equipment was out of service, customers were still able to use the library’s printed materials.

In fact, staff members improvised by using flashlights to check out materials, a step that many in the building commented was beyond the call of duty.

As the power outage wore on, staffers were on the phone with library manager Darcy Cahill, apprising her of the situation. Cahill, who lives a distance from the library, had gone home after her shift ended at 5 p.m. She said, however, she would immediately return to oversee operations until the power was restored.

Nottingham resident Lyle Albright, who was meeting with a business client when the outage struck, said, “This is really customer service at its highest level. In what could have been a tense situation with a large building full of adults and children and no power, the staff handled everything perfectly. I haven’t been to the library for some time, but you can be sure I will be back with my wife and kids … as well as my business clients since it is such a modern, well-equipped facility, which, as you can see, has a very well-trained and exceptionally dedicated staff.”