Utility Mobilizes Personnel for Power Restoration

WASHINGTON - Pepco is mobilizing extra field and support personnel as the wintry mix of snow and rain enters its service territory. Field personnel consisting of line and tree trimming crews will work to restore power. Additional utility contract crews will join the effort later today.

Non-field employees are assuming special storm roles to support the restoration effort, including additional staff to answer customer calls.

A Winter Weather Advisory remains in effect for Montgomery County, which forecasters say may receive up to 3 inches of heavy wet snow. The heavy wet snow accumulating on the leaves that remain on the trees has produced added weight to tree limbs causing them to break and fall onto electric wires resulting in damage to the system and power outages.

The mixture of snow and rain can also create hazardous road conditions. Motorists are urged to use extra caution when driving in the inclement weather, as outages can also occur due to drivers skidding into utility poles.

Pepco highly recommends customers that experience an outage to call 1-877-Pepco-62 (1-877-737-2662) to report their outage and/or downed wires (for your safety please stays away from downed lines and report them immediately).

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.

Pepco will restore power by targeting wires serving critical infrastructure, such as hospitals, and fire and police stations, as well as lines serving the greatest number of customers.

Pepco continues to urge customers to stay safe by following the advice of local emergency management officials and be prepared. Here are some preparation 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.