Washington , D.C. - Pepco crews have worked through the night to restore power after a powerful thunderstorm hit the area Sunday afternoon. As of noon today, power had been restored to nearly 106,000 customers. A power supply to the WSSC Potomac Plant in Potomac, Maryland has been restored as well as electric service to Shady Grove Hospital.

Pepco is bringing in crews from outside its service territory to aid in restoring the electric system which has been heavily damaged by trees and strong winds. Pepco crews continue to assess the damage caused by yesterday's powerful thunderstorm.

All feeders will have to be patrolled prior to any attempt to re-engage power. The damage assessment is essential in guiding the restoration effort. The assessments are providing information on areas of significant work. This restoration effort will take several days. Pepco advises any customers who have special needs, such as special medical equipment, to invoke their emergency plans.

Our restoration process is as follows:

1) Life Threatening Emergencies / Assist Fire/Police

2) Transmission & Sub-Transmission Events - Typically restores several thousands of customers.

3) Distribution Feeder Lockouts - Typically restores 800-2,000 each.

4) Vicinity & Grouped Outages - Typically restores several dozen to a hundred customers.

5) Individual Outages - One or two restorations each.

Until power is restored, here are tips to keep you safe, protect your food, home and belongings:

• Pepco strongly encourages customers to make safety a priority. Stay away from downed power lines. All downed lines should be treated as if they are energized, and individuals should not approach them or touch them.
• To report downed wires and outages, customers are asked to call 1-877-PEPCO-62 (1-877-737-2662).
• Keep away from flooded areas and stay indoors. If you experience a power outage, check for electrical damage inside your home, such as frayed wires, sparks or the smell of burning insulation. If you find damage, don't turn your power on until an electrician inspects your system and makes necessary repairs. Remember, electricity and water is a dangerous combination. Even wading in a shallow puddle or flooded basement that is exposed to an energized line could lead to harmful electrical contact.

Protecting Your Food

• Keep freezer and refrigerator doors closed; open them only when absolutely necessary. Food will stay frozen for 36 - 48 hours in a fully loaded freezer if you keep the door closed.
• A half-full freezer will generally keep food frozen for 24 hours.

Protecting Your Home and Belongings if Your Power is Out

• Turn off all appliances, including your furnace, air conditioner, water heater, and water pump. That way, you can avoid a circuit overload and another outage that may result when power is restored to all appliances at once.
• Leave on one lamp so you will know that the power has been restored.

For more safety and emergency preparedness tips, log onto the Pepco Storm Center, 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.