Extensive Outages, Devastating Damage Possible; Restoration Could Take Days

SALISBURY, Md . - Delmarva Power is closely monitoring the approach of Hurricane Sandy, which has the potential to cause devastating damage to our service territory. Delmarva Power has initiated its Incident Response Plan to prepare for the storm and is strongly urging customers to get ready now for the possibility of multi-day outages.

Weather services are predicting that the Delmarva Peninsula will experience heavy rain and high winds over a sustained period, which could cause widespread and extended power outages.

"Our emergency teams are active, regional storm teams are communicating and operational teams are preparing for potentially devastating damage to the region's infrastructure," said Gary Stockbridge, Delmarva Power Region President.

The company is warning that tens or even hundreds of thousands of customers could lose power during this potentially catastrophic event. The company is committed to restoring power as quickly and safely as possible, although customer and crew safety remains the top priority. Crews will begin working as soon as winds subside to below 35 mph, which is maximum safe wind speed for workers to go up in bucket trucks per safety regulations.

"We're hearing forecasts that we could see heavy sustained winds for up to 48 hours as this storm makes an agonizingly slow track across our overall system," Stockbridge said. "If winds are too high, we will not be able to start restoration work until they die down, so it could be as long as even a day or two before our crews could safely start working to restore power."

In anticipation of the storm, the company has mobilized all employees. The company is asking for mutual assistance line crews from other utilities. The allocation of mutual assistance crews will be determined when Delmarva Power has more detailed projections of where damage is expected to occur.

Customers Urged to Prepare and Be Safe

Delmarva Power urges its customers to prepare for potential power outages and act to ensure their safety. Here are some tips:

Preparation Tips

• Have adequate prescription medicines or infant supplies on hand.
• If you or someone you know uses life-support equipment that requires electricity to operate, identify a location with emergency power capabilities and make plans to go there during a prolonged outage.
• Assemble an emergency storm kit. 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 non-perishable foods and bottled water and have a hand-operated can opener available.
• Have 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.
• Protect your electronic equipment. Unplug sensitive electronics or plug computers and other sensitive equipment into surge suppressors, and consider a UPS (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 you have an electrically operated sump pump, you should not turn off your power.
• Fill your gas tank so you can run your automobile to charge mobile devices. Be sure to open the garage doors to run the vehicle safely.

Safety Tips

• Tune in to local news broadcasts for the latest weather and emergency information.
• Follow the advice of your local emergency management officials.
• Take cover if necessary.
• Stay away from downed wires. Assume any downed wire is energized.

Customers should report power outages or downed wires by calling:

• Delaware: New Castle County - 1-800-898-8042; Kent and Sussex counties - 1-800-898-8045
• Maryland: Cecil and Harford counties - 1-800-898-8042; Eastern Shore - 1-800-898-8045
• To report a Delmarva Power natural gas emergency in New Castle County, Del.: 302-454-0317

To keep up to date, customers are encouraged to view the outage map on the Delmarva Power website at www.delmarva.com and follow us at www.twitter.com/DelmarvaConnect.

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Delmarva Power, a public utility owned by Pepco Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: POM), provides safe and reliable energy to more than 500,000 electric delivery customers in Delaware and Maryland and over 124,000 natural gas delivery customers in northern Delaware.