Utilities companies stressed patience Thursday as crews continued to work around the clock to restore power to homes and businesses still dark three days after a crippling ice storm.

"It is looking better," Orangeburg Department of Public Utility Manager Fred Boatwright said Thursday morning. "All our circuits are back up, but this does not mean the taps are back up. The object is to restore the main circuit and close each of the taps."

Taps are the secondary power lines stemming from main circuits that connect power to rural areas.

Three days after the ice began falling on Monday, 4,000 DPU customers were still in the dark in areas of U.S. Highway 301 south of Orangeburg, parts of Cordova and the North Road area, Boatwright said.

The morning saw 11 crews consisting of 145 personnel scattered throughout the city. Crews spent 12-hour shifts restoring power.

"The good news is we have approximately 1,500 to 2,000 restored," he said. By day's end, Boatwright expected an additional 1,000 customers to be back on-line.

The duration of the outages raised the ire of some customers, who expressed frustration in phone calls to the newspaper and in visits to DPU.

The Orangeburg Department of Public Safety is on standby mode to help the utility manage the overflow crowds at the Russell Street headquarters, Chief Wendell Davis said.

"It is a management thing," he said. "They are not equipped to handle the large, overflow crowds."

To hasten the power-restoration process, Boatwright said homeowners are encouraged to contact an electrician if their meter base is torn from their homes. If meters are torn from their sockets, the utility cannot reinstall the service line until they are reinstalled.

Boatwright said he is concerned about rumors people are approaching homeowners and promising to restore power for a certain fee.

"That is bogus," he said. "We don't charge people to put power on. None of these people works with us."

If homeowners are approached with such a request, they are encouraged to call DPU.

South Carolina Electric and Gas Co. spokesman Robin Montgomery reported 25,000 customers still without power late Thursday morning in the utility's service area. The company serves Holly Hill, North, Branchville and St. George.

Of those 25,000 customers, 7,500 were in the North, Calhoun County and St. Matthews areas, he said.

"Crews are working in full force," Montgomery said. "We have brought in fresh crews, and they are targeting the large areas without power. We are expecting to make significant progress."

At 11 p.m. Tuesday, 150,000 SCE&G customers were in the dark. That number was down to 30,000 Wednesday morning.

"We are at a point in the restoration process when things begin to slow down," Montgomery said, noting that at the outset, power restorations were conducted on main electric circuits consisting of 2,000 to 3,000 customers.

However, isolated areas may not be fully back on-line until late Friday, and depending on the extent of damage, some may be without power through the weekend, he said.

About 3,500 of Tri-County Electric Cooperative's 17,000 members in eastern Orangeburg, Calhoun and Lexington and other counties were still without power late Thursday afternoon. Half of those outages were expected to be back on-line by day's end.

Crews consisting of approximately 75 linesmen were out in force throughout the service area restoring power to the rural areas.

"The main lines are on," said Bob Wannamaker, Tri-County general manager. "We still have scattered widespread outages. We will try to get most we can on."

All customers should be on-line by the first of the week, he added.

"The ice did just tremendous damage," Wannamaker said, noting that of his 30 years with the utility, the storm was the worst seen since the 1972 ice storm. Similarities to Hugo were not dismissed.

"Hugo cost us several million," he said. "This will probably cost us almost $2 million or maybe $3 million."

The news was better for Edisto Electric Cooperative customers late Thursday.

By 4 p.m. Thursday, all towns and city's in the EEC service area had power.

Isolated outages after Friday should be reported accordingly.

Crews with Aiken Electric Cooperative, which has customers in western Orangeburg County and elsewhere, were also working around the clock to restore power to the 4,000 still without. Outages were widely scattered Thursday throughout the service districts of Aiken, Edgefield and North. It was unclear as to how long the power would be out.

"The ice storm that came through early this week caused the largest devastation to our system since the early 1970s," said Gary Stooksbury, chief executive officer. "We understand the hardship that many of our members have endured. We're exerting every effort to get the power turned on for everyone as quickly and safely as possible. We ask for and appreciate your patience."

Crews will continue to work 24 hour days until power is fully restored. The utility's call center is being staffed around the clock. Outages may be reported to 1-877-264-5368.

T&D Staff Writer Gene Zaleski can be reached by e-mail at gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or by phone at 803-533-5551.

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