Pepco Urges Customers to Plan Ahead

WASHINGTON - S now and ice storms, along with blustery winds, can bring down power lines, and interrupt electric service for extended periods, subjecting power customers to freezing temperatures. Pepco recommends that customers prepare in advance for such events. Here are some tips:

· Assemble emergency "storm kits." Include a battery-powered radio or television, flashlight, a first-aid kit, battery-powered or windup clock, extra batteries, non-perishable food, special needs items, such as necessary medications, and a list of important and emergency phone numbers.

· Maintain a supply of extra blankets.

· Ensure that sure that all household members have a warm coat, gloves or mittens, a hat and water-resistant boots.

· Make sure the household 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 to obtain emergency shelter in case of an extended outage.

Pepco also strongly urges everyone to follow some basic safety tips to save lives:

· Never attempt to remove trees or limbs from any utility line. Assume all objects touching a power line are energized.

· If using a portable generator during a power outage, always operate it outside, away from doors and windows to avoid deadly carbon monoxide.

· If a basement floods, never attempt to turn off power or operate circuit breakers while standing in water.

If you or someone you know uses life-support equipment that requires electricity to operate, identify a location with emergency power capabilities and make plans to go there during a prolonged outage.

If you have not done so previously, please contact our customer care service center at 202-833-7500 to request the necessary certification forms for you and your physician to complete and send back to us. Also make sure that we have a current address and telephone number on file for the individual with life-support equipment. This will help us identify the individual and process their order.

Because life-support customers are spread throughout all parts of our service area, providing restoration priority to these customers when there are extensive power outages is not possible. However, we understand that information is important to our special needs customers and therefore, prior to a major storm or similar event, we will make special efforts to communicate that outages are possible.

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 interruptions in service.

Additional information may be found online at www.pepco.com.

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