Pepco Prepares for Weekend Winter Blast in Washington DC and Baltimore

Pepco Urges Customers to Begin Preparation Now

WASHINGTON -- Pepco is preparing for the second major snowstorm of the season, bringing with it the potential for strong winds and significant snow accumulations. Heavy, wet snow and strong winds could bring down tree limbs onto wires, resulting in power outages. Outages can also occur due to drivers skidding into utility poles during storms.

Extra crews and customer care personnel are scheduled to work through the weekend. When road conditions become treacherous due to ice or heavy snow, Pepco will equip vehicles with chains to safely respond to outage calls.

If Power Goes Out

Customers are asked to call Pepco at 1-877-Pepco-62 (1-877-737-2662) to report outages – even if their neighbors may have already 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.

Pepco strongly urges everyone to follow these important safety tips:

• Stay away from downed lines and report them immediately by calling 1-877-737-2662.

• Never attempt to remove trees or limbs from any utility line. Assume all objects touching a power line are energized.

• If using a portable generator during a power outage, always operate it outside. Do not operate a portable generator near doors, windows or in garages to prevent deadly carbon monoxide from entering the house.


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.

Additional information may be found at www.pepco.com.
Pepco, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: POM), delivers safe, reliable and affordable electric service to more than 750,000 customers in Maryland and the District of Columbia.