Utility to Hold Thursday News Conference at Montgomery County Fairground

Washington , D.C. - Pepco crews have restored power to nearly 275,000 customers since Sunday's violent thunderstorm knocked out power to 301,000 customers.

"At this stage of the restoration, we ask that anyone without electric service call 1-877-737-2662 to ensure that their order is being processed," said Thomas Graham, Pepco Region President. Calling 1-877-737-2662 is the best method for customers to receive estimated restoration times.

Graham will meet with members of the media at 10 a.m. tomorrow, Thursday, July 29, to provide an update on the progress of the restoration. The location of the news conference is the Pepco Restoration Staging Area at the Montgomery County Fairground.

Around-the-clock efforts will continue until all customers have power restored.

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 home and belongings:

• When using a generator, always follow the manufacturer's instructions.
• Locate your generator in a well-ventilated area. Never run it inside, even in your garage. Gasoline powered generators produce carbon monoxide and the fumes can be deadly. Store gasoline or other flammable liquids outside of living areas in properly marked approved containers.
• They should also not be stored in a garage if a fuel-burning appliance is located there.

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 at www.pepco.com.

####

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.