Washington Metropolitan area is under a Wind Advisory

WASHINGTON - Today the Washington Metropolitan Region braces for severe weather. The Washington Metropolitan area is under a Wind Advisory. The National Weather Service forecasts strong wind gusts in excess of 40 miles per hour, which will pummel the entire Pepco region throughout the day. Wind speeds will gradually diminish after the evening rush hour. Pepco is prepared in the event tree limbs and branches fall on utility wires causing possible power outages.

"We will monitor the weather and the outage situation throughout the day and will be ready to respond with extra crews into the evening shift at the appropriate level," said Thomas Graham, President, Pepco Region. To prevent potential outages, Pepco urges residential customers to report trees that pose an immediate risk to electric power lines.

To report Power Outages and Downed Wires Call 1-877-737-2662.

If you are calling to report a power outage, a non-life threatening situation, please call 1-877-Pepco-62

(1-877-737-2662) and press one for the automated system.

If you are reporting an emergency life threatening situation such as downed wires, pole down, etc. please call 1-877-Pepco-62 (1-877-737-2662) and press two.

The option for reporting an actual life threatening emergency should NOT be used to report non-life threatening emergencies, as it will prevent customers with actual emergencies from getting through to report their outage. Please stay away from downed wires and report them immediately.

Customers also are asked to call Pepco to report outages - even if their neighbors already may have 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.

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 that will restore the largest numbers of customers first. Generally, the power restoration 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.

For more information and updates, visit www.pepco.com and follow Pepco at www.twitter.com/PepcoConnect.

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Pepco, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: POM), delivers safe, reliable and affordable electric service to more than 789,000 customers in Maryland and the District of Columbia.