A major snowstorm has left as many as 12,000 Prince George's County households without power this morning as officials battle continuing snowfall to restore power, clear roads and provide emergency services.

The storm, which began Friday afternoon, had dumped nearly 24 inches of snow on some areas of Prince George's County by early Saturday, said county Department of Public Works and Transportation spokeswoman Susan Hubbard. Most of the snow fell overnight and several more inches are expected to fall Saturday.

Pepco, the county's primary gas and electric provider, serves about 220,000 properties in the county, 8,000 of which were without power Saturday morning, said spokesman Andre Francis.

BGE, which provides power to eastern portions of the county including Laurel and Bowie, reported Saturday that nearly 4,000 of its 81,000 county properties were without electricity.

"These outages are really scattered, so we're just asking customers to be patient," Francis said. "We're working with the county [plow operations] to get into the areas that are hard to get into."

While energy companies attempt to restore power, residents have been advised to stay in their homes as few residential roads are passable. Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) declared a state of emergency Friday morning asking residents to avoid driving unless absolutely necessary.

The county Department of Public Works has been working since 1 p.m. Friday to clear snow and ice from its 1,821 miles of county-maintained roads. The county has nearly 300 snow vehicles working 12-hour shifts, and they have focused mainly on clearing primary roads, rather than those in neighborhoods.

"We've got all of the primaries passable, but then they fill up with snow and we have to do them again," said Hubbard, who estimated at 9 a.m. Saturday that it could take "at least 36 hours" before most residential roads can be clear.

As of Saturday morning, the snowstorm had yet to cause any major accidents or injuries in the county, said Prince George's Fire Department spokesman Mark Brady. He said most residents were able to get home safely Friday afternoon, despite heavy traffic and snowfall.

"We've run [into] a few motor vehicle crashes, but nothing with any major injuries," Brady said, adding that most emergency calls since Friday night were reports of downed power lines caused by heavy snow on wires and tree branches. "We just hope everybody continues to heed advice and stay off the roads."

Pepco customers who experience power outages should call 1-877-737-2662. BGE customers should call 1-877-778-2222.

E-mail David Hill at dhill@gazette.net.