WASHINGTON, D.C. (March 2, 2018) – For 18 hours and counting, Winter Storm Riley’s severe winds and heavy rains have caused major damage across the entire Pepco service territory. Wind gusts reaching 70 mph or more continue to topple trees and utility poles, down power lines, and damage electric equipment, resulting in power outages for more than 252,000 Pepco customers.

As of 8 p.m. Friday, Pepco had restored service to more than 58,000 customers, and currently 216,000 customers remain without service – 27,000 in the District of Columbia and 189,000 in Montgomery and Prince George’s counties in Maryland.  

Pepco crews and local contractors are working around the clock in 12- and 16-hour shifts to restore service as safely and efficiently as possible. We are still completing the assessment of the extensive damage that has occurred to the system. Once the assessment is complete and the weather has subsided, we will actively transition to the restoration process, including establishing estimated times of restoration.

“The sheer impact and magnitude of damage already seen from this storm is incredible,” said Dave Velazquez, President and CEO of Pepco Holdings. “With high winds and outages still occurring, we are assessing the damage and implementing the plan to attack this major, multi-day power restoration effort.”

Crews from Pepco’s sister utility ComEd in Illinois are mobilizing to assist in the restoration effort here.  

As safety remains the top priority for our employees, our customers, and the communities we serve, we urge people to stay away from downed wires and assume any downed wire is energized. To report an outage or downed wire, call 1-877-PEPCO-62 (1-877-737-2662) or report and track through our mobile app or our website at www.pepco.com. A map showing outages by area is also available on the website.

As crews work to restore service, Pepco thanks its customers for their understanding and patience.

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