PINEVILLE, La. – A 39-person Cleco storm team will travel more than 1,000 miles to assist Pepco, a subsidiary of Pepco Holdings, Inc., restore power after Hurricane Irene is expected to impact the Washington D.C. area this weekend.  Pepco serves more than 778,000 customers in Washington D.C. and Maryland.

Cleco’s storm team began traveling today with 36 trucks and should arrive in Washington D.C. Sunday.

“Right now predictions are for heavy rain and high winds for a sustained time Saturday and into Sunday in Washington D.C.,” said Floyd Pittman, Cleco’s manager of distribution reliability and maintenance.  “If these predictions hold, the area can expect widespread power outages.”

According to weather forecasters, it is unusual for strong hurricanes to affect the Northeast.  However, Irene is expected to be a threat bringing tree damage and power outages.  Because the area is densely populated, millions of residents are expected to be impacted.

Cleco is a member of the Southeastern Electric Exchange’s (SEE) mutual assistance program where member utilities offer power restoration assistance after major weather events. 

“Being a member of the SEE offers utilities strength in numbers and resources,” said Pittman.  “Pepco helped us after Hurricane Rita in 2005. We always try to help other utilities when we can, because you never know when we may need assistance.”