For Immediate Release
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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
Safety Tips
Customers should report power outages or downed wires by calling:
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.