Pepco Prepared for Impending Winter Weather

Pepco Prepared for Impending Winter Weather
Pepco Urges Customers to Make Safety a Priority

    WASHINGTON - Pepco is preparing for the next round of winter weather, bringing with it the potential for significant snow accumulation as well as a wintry mix in some areas. Heavy wet snow and strong winds could bring tree limbs onto wires, resulting in power outages. Outages can also occur due to drivers skidding into utility poles located along icy and snow-covered roads.
Extra crews and customer care personnel are prepared to work throughout the storm. When road conditions become treacherous due to ice or heavy snow, Pepco will equip vehicles with chains to safely respond to outage calls. Pepco will coordinate its power restoration efforts with emergency management personnel and local government officials.
   If Power Goes Out and to Report Downed Wires Call 1-877-737-2662
Pepco strongly urges everyone to call 1-877-Pepco-62 (1-877-737-2662) to report power outages and downed wires (stay away from downed wires and report them immediately).
Customers are also asked to report outages – even if their neighbors may have already called. Pepco’s automated outage reporting system is the most effective way to report an outage because it immediately feeds information into computers that rapidly identify problem areas and dispatch repair crews, so that power can be restored as quickly as possible.
Power Restoration Process – How Pepco Restores Power
Once the storm subsides, crews will survey the electric system to assess the damage. As with plowing roads, it is not possible to clear side streets before the main roads are cleared. To that end, in the event our system is damaged by severe weather, Pepco repairs equipment which will restore the largest numbers of customers first. Generally, the sequence is as follows:
•    Downed live wires or potentially life-threatening situations and public health and safety facilities without power
•    Transmission lines serving thousands of customers
•    Substation equipment
•    Main distribution lines serving large numbers of customers
•    Secondary lines serving neighborhoods
•    Service lines to individual homes and businesses
Pepco urges customers to stay safe and be prepared. Here are some additional tips:
•    Assemble an emergency storm kit. Include a battery-powered radio or television, flashlight, first-aid kit, battery-powered or windup clock, extra batteries, non-perishable food, manual can opener, bottled water, any necessary medications and a list of emergency phone numbers.
•    Maintain a supply of extra blankets.
•    Ensure that all household members have a warm coat, gloves, hat and water-resistant boots.
•    Make sure your home has a telephone with a cord or cell phone to use as a backup. Cordless telephones require electricity to operate, and won’t work if there is an outage.
•    Identify a place for emergency shelter in case of an extended outage. It is important that customers with special needs or their caregivers take responsibility to make arrangements ahead of time to prepare for potentially long-lasting service interruptions.
Additional information may be found at www.pepco.com.

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Pepco, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: POM), delivers safe, reliable and affordable electric service to more than 778,000 customers in Maryland and the District of Columbia.