Will water and power be shut off before Hurricane Matthew arrives?
Update: Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority announced Oct. 6 that water service will be shut off to some Sea Islands. Read more here.
Rumors circulating that water and power will be shut off before Hurricane Matthew hits the Lowcountry are not true, according to power and water representatives.
“We have no plans to shut off power unless given direction by the governor’s office,” spokesperson Missy Santorum said Wednesday.
SCE&G also has no plans to shut power off, spokesperson Katrina Goggins said.
In the 21 years Santorum has worked for Palmetto Electric, the power has never been shut off before a storm as a way to encourage evacuation.
“Unfortunately, Mother Nature will take care of (the power) if the storm is bad enough,” Santorum said.
Beaufort-Jasper Water & Sewer Authority has no plans to shut off water before or during the storm.
However, BJWSA spokesperson Pamela Flasch encouraged homeowners to turn off their individual water lines using their shut-off valve.
She said she was unaware of any time when the water supply was shut off before or during a major storm.
The last time the state ordered the power to be shut off was during Hurricane Hugo in 1989, Santorum said.
Hugo left roughly 250,000 SCE&G customers without power, said Goggins.
Even after the storm moves north, outages could be long-term.
“It could take a while to get everything back up and going,” Santorum said. “We won’t be responding to outages during the storm out of (concern for the) safety for our linemen.”
Kelly Meyerhofer: 843-706-8136, @KellyMeyerhofer
What to do
Tips from water and power representatives:
- Disconnect electronic equipment to avoid electronic surges.
- Leave one light on so you’ll know when power is restored.
- Minimize opening freezers and refrigerators to keep food safe longer.
- During cleanup, do not pile debris near utility poles or other utilities.
- Don’t assume your neighbor will report an outage. If your power provider is Palmetto Electric, call 1-866-445-5551. If your power provider is SCE&G, call 1-888-333-4465 or report it online at www.sceg.com.
This story was originally published October 5, 2016 at 9:21 AM with the headline "Will water and power be shut off before Hurricane Matthew arrives?."