Utility prepared for possibility of snow, sleet and freezing rain

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Pepco is closely monitoring today's winter storm. The National Weather Service has issued a Winter Storm Warning for parts of the Washington Metropolitan Area and all of Montgomery County from this morning through Monday morning.

Weather forecasts are still changing, but some predict snow accumulations of up to 2 inches followed by an inch of rain throughout parts of the Pepco region. We also expect wind gusts of up to 15 mph. A Winter Storm Warning means there is also a potential for a mix of sleet and/or ice. Pepco is preparing for the worst of the forecasts.

Snow, sleet and freezing rain can bring tree limbs into contact with power lines to cause power outages. This wintry mix can allow trees already weakened by previous storms to fall onto power lines and equipment to cause power outages. Outages can also occur due to drivers skidding into utility poles along wet and/or icy roads.

Pepco will have line and tree crews available, and the Call Center will be staffed overnight if needed. In addition to internal crews, Pepco has hundreds of overhead line contractors already working on the system available if needed.

Customers are asked to please call in any outages and stay away from any downed wires. To report outages and/or downed wires, please call 1-877-PEPCO-62 (1-877-737-2662), follow the prompts, and ask for a call back to confirm that power has been restored. Outages also may be reported through pepco.com or through our mobile app.

Some tips for Pepco customers to prepare:

• Assemble an emergency storm kit, including:
  • Battery-powered radio or television
  • Flashlight
  • First-aid kit
  • Battery-powered or windup clock
  • Extra batteries
  • Special needs items, such as an insulated cooler
  • List of important and emergency phone numbers
• Have a telephone with a cord or a cell phone to use as a backup. Cordless telephones require electricity to operate and won't work if there is an outage.
• Protect electronic equipment. Unplug sensitive electronics or plug computers and other sensitive equipment into surge suppressors and consider an uninterruptible power supply for temporary battery backup power.
• Turn off power to flood-prone basement appliances if it is safe to do so. However, if using an electrically operated sump pump, the customer should not turn off the power.
• Have adequate prescription medicines or infant supplies on hand.
• Follow local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information.
• Customers can find additional information by visiting www.pepco.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pepcoconnect, and on Twitter at www.twitter.com/pepcoconnect. Our mobile app is available at www.pepco.com/mobileapp.

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