After Four Days, Potomac Residents Hardest Hit By Pepco Power Outages

In the fourth day of the aftermath of Friday's severe storm, Pepco customers in Potomac are the most affected by power outages in Montgomery County, according to the utility’s outage map.

Potomac’s ZIP code of 20854 reported just over 6,400 customers without power by 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, making it the most affected region in Pepco’s coverage area. The ZIP codes of 20817 and 20552 followed close behind with 6,061 and 5,624 outages reported.

According to Pepco spokesperson Marcus Beal, the utility is working its way to the more residential areas of Montgomery County such as Potomac.

“We tend to target the largest number of customers we can after an event,” Beal said, adding that the utility first focuses on emergency responders such as fire rescue and hospitals, before moving to higher transmission lines in more populated areas. Potomac, famous for its rural look, has more obstacles to face than other areas.

“This was a type of event where there were a lot of high winds, so we’re seeing a lot of downed trees in areas,” Beal said. “Potomac is a beautiful area with a lot of trees, but when those get uprooted, it causes a lot of problems."

Montgomery County, which experienced the most storm damage in Pepco’s coverage area, is at 77 percent of complete restoration. Some 68,000 are still without power, Beal said. In Prince George's County, 17,000 are without power, and in Washington, DC, 13,000 await restoration.

Several Potomac residents have reported purchasing power generators as they wait for restoration.  

The ZIP code’s power should be restored by Friday at 11 p.m., according to the outage map.

Is your power still out? Let us know how you’re handling it.