preparing for severe weather - pepco

8/13/2019 Preparing for Severe Weather - Pepco

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Pepco </>

A PHI Company <http://www.pepcoholdings.com/>

We're connected to you by more than power lines.

Preparing for Severe Weather

Overview

Every day, Pepco works hard to provide you with safe, economical andreliable electric service. However, despite our best efforts, occasionalpower outages are unavoidable. Sometimes the reason for an outage isclear, such as a major thunderstorm. Other times, the reason may not beas readily apparent to our customers. Whatever the cause of a poweroutage, we understand the inconvenience and hardship that loss of powerpresents, and greatly appreciate your patience as we work to restoreservice as quickly as possible.

Important Safety Tips

If you see a downed power line, stay away from it. Assume that alldowned power lines are live and extremely dangerous. Donât touch anyperson or object that is in contact with a power line; the current couldflow through you. Immediately call the emergency service number at1-877-Pepco-62 (1-877-737-2662) and press two to report downed wires.Call 911 only if there is an associated emergency such as a fire,automobile accident or, if medical assistance is required. Also:

* *Never attempt to remove trees or limbs* from any utility line. Assume all objects touching a power line are energized. * If you use a *portable generator* during a power outage, always operate it outside, away from doors and windows to avoid deadly carbon monoxide.

* If you have a flooded basement in your home, *never attempt to turn off power* or operate circuit breakers while standing in water.

Plan Ahead for a Storm â What You Can Do Now

Because power outages sometimes happen, planning ahead is essential.Here are some things you can do right now to prepare:

* *Assemble an emergency âstorm kit.â* Include a battery-powered radio or television, flashlight, a first-aid kit, battery-powered or windup clock, extra batteries, special needs items, an insulated cooler and a list of important and emergency phone numbers.

* *Keep at least a three-day supply of nonperishable foods* and *bottled water* and have a hand-operated can opener available. * Make sure you have a *telephone with a cord or cell phone* to use as a backup. Cordless telephones require electricity to operate, and wonât work if there is an outage. * *Protect your electronic equipment. *Plug computers and other sensitive equipment into surge suppressors, and consider a UPS (uninterruptible power supply) for temporary battery backup power.



Know Your Back-Up Plan for Life-Support Equipment

If you or someone you know uses life-support equipment that requireselectricity to operate, identify a location with emergency powercapabilities and make plans to go there or to a hospital during aprolonged outage. If you have not done so previously, please contact ourcustomer care service center at 202-833-7500 to enroll in our EmergencyMedical Equipment Notification Program and ensure that we have a currentaddress and telephone number for the individual with life-supportequipment. This will help identify the individual and process theirorder. Because customers who use life-support equipment are spreadthroughout all parts of our service area, providing restoration priorityto these customers when there are extensive power outages is notpossible. However, we understand that information is important andtherefore, prior to a major storm or similar event, we will make specialefforts to communicate that outages are possible.

It is important that customers who use life-support equipment or theircaregivers take responsibility to make arrangements ahead of time toprepare for potentially long-lasting interruptions in service. You maywant to ask a relative or friend who has power if you can stay withthem. Another option is to research whether or not a portable generatoris appropriate for your situation. Customers who experience medicaldistress due to a power outage should seek medical assistance.

When a Storm Threatens â Stay Safe and Informed

* *Locate your emergency âstorm kitâ* and check your supplies of bottled water and non-perishable food. * If a major storm is forecast, make sure you have *adequate prescription medicines or infant supplies* on hand. * Tune in to *local news broadcasts. * * *Take cover* if recommended. * *Unplug sensitive electronics* and *turn off power to flood-prone basement appliances* if it is safe to do so. However, if you have an electrically operated sump pump, you should not turn off your power.

* *Fill your bathtub with water* if your water supply depends on electricity.

If Your Electricity is Out â Key Steps to Take

Check to see if your neighbors are without power, too. If they havepower and you do not, the problem could be a tripped circuit breakerwithin your own home. If the circuit breaker does not appear to be theproblem, call Pepco at1-877-Pepco-62 (1-877-737-2662) to report your outage.

If you called us once to report an outage affecting your neighborhood or

street and everyoneâs power seems to be restored except yours, pleasecall us again. That usually means that we repaired the problemsaffecting your neighborhood or street, but were not aware that asecondary problem existed that affected only your service.

Extensive outages may generate a large volume of customer calls. Duringthese major outages, we supplement our call center staff with employeeswho have been cross-trained to assist customers. In addition, our *HighVolume Call Answering System* (HVCA) can handle up to 100,000 calls perhour to reduce the incidence of busy signals and hold times. The system



works best when we have your information up to date. Please check tomake sure your current telephone number is displayed on your Pepcoaccount so that our automated Outage Management System (OMS) system canidentify you and record your outage when you call. You can update yourinformation by calling 202-835-1007. Otherwise, during an emergency, youwill be asked to stay on the line and provide your telephone number andaddress to report your outage.

* *Call the emergency service number*, 1-877-PEPCO-62 to report downed wires, burning wires, or struck poles. * *Unplug or turn off all appliances* that will come on when the power returns - they may overload our circuits. Leave a lamp switched on so you will know when the power is restored. Then you can turn your appliances back on, one at a time, over a 20-minute period. * *Keep freezer and refrigerator doors shut*; open them only when absolutely necessary. Food will stay frozen for 36 to 48 hours in a fully loaded freezer if you keep the door closed. A half-full freezer will keep food frozen for 24 hours. * *Close shades or curtains* to keep rooms cooler in warm weather. During the winter, let the sun warm rooms during the day and close shades and curtains at night. * If you have a *battery-powered laptop computer* or if you are at work and your office has power, go to the Special Alert Center for frequent storm restoration updates and to view our outage maps and

work location information. During outage events, a link will appear on the home page of www.pepco.com to take you directly to the Special Alert Center <../alert/default.aspx>.

For more information, check out our brochure:

Weathering the Storm (English)<../../../_res/documents/Pepco_WeatheringTheStorm.pdf><../../../_res/documents/Pepco_WeatheringTheStorm.pdf>Weathering the Storm (Spanish)<../../../_res/documents/Pepco_WeatheringTheStorm_Spanish.pdf><../../../_res/documents/Pepco_WeatheringTheStorm_Spanish.pdf>Weathering the Storm (Chinese)

<../../../_res/documents/weather/PHI0258P_ERIP_Q4_FactSheet_CHINESE_WEB.pdf><../../../_res/documents/Pepco_WeatheringTheStorm_Spanish.pdf>

<../../../_res/documents/PepcoStormPreparationHandbook.pdf>Storm Preparation Handbook<../../../_res/documents/PepcoStormPreparationHandbook.pdf>

Federal Emergency Management Agency <http://www.fema.gov>

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preparing for severe weather - pepco

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