WAMU 88.5 : News

Filed Under:

Pepco Says It's Ready, But Lengthy Outages Still Likely

By: Matt Bush // August 27, 2011
Play associated audio
comments
Pepco says its hired more outside crews for Hurricane Irene than for any other storm.
Matthew Bush
Pepco says its hired more outside crews for Hurricane Irene than for any other storm.

Despite it's woeful track record, Pepco says it is ready for Hurricane Irene.

Last summer, all it took were thunderstorms to knock out power to Pepco customers for nearly a week. Since then, the company has embarked on a much-publicized campaign to upgrade its reliability.

Hurricane Irene will be the first test of those improvements, according to says Joe Rigby, president of Pepco's parent company.

"I'd be very concerned standing in front of you right now if we hadn't embarked on that, given what I think we're facing," says Rigby. "So I anticipate that we will have less damage than what we otherwise would have had."

One change from last year is that Pepco asked for outside help on Tuesday in anticipation of Hurricane Irene.

Still, Rigby adds the storm is strong enough to cause lengthy outages, because bucket trucks can not start restoring power until winds have died down under 35 mph.

Arts & Culture

NPR

'Arrested Development' Leads The Charge For Old Brands In New Media

Brands that found their original audiences in traditional, old-media platforms are finding ways to keep going in the world of new media.

Food

NPR

How Genomics Solved The Mystery Of Ireland's Great Famine

Although scientists have known that a funguslike organism caused the potato blight that triggered the Great Famine in Ireland in the 1840s, they didn't know which strain was the culprit. But they do now, thanks to the genes in some 19th century potato samples.

Politics

NPR

'I Have Not Done Anything Wrong,' Says Key IRS Official

Lois Lerner, who's at the center of the political firestorm over her agency's singling out of some conservative groups for extra scrutiny, then invoked her Fifth Amendment right not to answer questions from Congress.

Technology

NPR

'Reinventing The Register' May Take Time For Square

Square is the much buzzed-about digital payments company started by the founder of Twitter. With the launch of a new product last week, we check in on the company's promise to revolutionize how we buy things.

Leave a Comment

Help keep the conversation civil. Please refer to our Terms of Use and Code of Conduct before posting your comments.