- After working around the clock Thursday, Friday and Saturday in response to Hurricane Helene, by 10 a.m. Sunday, crews had restored power to more than 250,000 customers. This was significant progress since outages peaked at approximately 386,000 Friday morning after Helene devasted South Carolina with heavy rain and severe winds that downed trees, poles and power lines across hundreds of miles.
- The City of Columbia has less than 9,400 outages
- More than 2,000 Dominion Energy employees and 1,000 additional contract resources are working around the clock to restore power to customers. Because of the unusually extreme extent of Helene’s impact, we are still assessing damage in the hardest hit areas and will provide estimated times of restoration as soon as we can after the completion of ongoing damage assessments.
- The team of skilled resources includes Dominion Energy Virginia employees and additional out-of-state assistance from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, North Carolina and Texas. We continue to secure additional resources where available.
- With progress being made in some of the lesser impacted areas, additional resources have been strategically reallocated to Aiken, Richland, Beaufort and Hampton counties, as well as other parts of Dominion Energy’s service territory that were hit hardest.
- Watch a message from Dominion Energy South Carolina President Keller Kissam helping customers understand the massive extent of Helene’s damage and the steady progress crews are making with restoration.
- Damage assessments continue to confirm that no other storm has impacted our service territory as severely as Hurricane Helene.
- Destructive winds and downed trees destroyed nearly 90 transmission lines across our system. These high-voltage lines deliver bulk power to substations in the communities we serve. Once substations are restored, we can begin the process of rebuilding lines in neighborhoods from street to street.
- Damage on our system impacting service may not be near your home or business. Customers may not see a Dominion Energy vehicle in their area even as work to restore power is underway.
- The first steps in restoring power involves assessing damage and protecting the safety of emergency workers, repair crews and the public. Priority is given to getting power to health and safety facilities.
- We work to restore the largest number of customers as quickly as possible by assessing and repairing damage to larger transmission towers, power lines and substations.
- Next, we work to clear obstructions and repair primary distribution poles and power lines across the communities we serve.
- Finally, we inspect and repair secondary service lines in residential neighborhoods.
- Crews can only repair electric service up to a home’s point of connection. If a customer has any storm damage from the weatherhead down to its meter base, an electrician must repair it before Dominion Energy can reconnect power to the home. Having any required repairs completed before crews arrive can save time in restoring power.
- Get the facts from reliable sources.
- As with any storm that could possibly impact power to our customers, Dominion Energy does not release any crews to leave our service territory until a return to normal operations.
- Because no electricity is flowing to a customer’s meter when they are experiencing an outage, no charges are incurred during that time.
- Due to extensive damage and widespread outages, some customers may be without power for several days. While we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience, Dominion Energy is unable to offer reimbursement for food spoilage or hotel accommodations due to loss of power. However, the customer’s homeowner’s insurance policy may offer coverage.
- Customers who previously reported an outage may receive notifications letting them know that power has been restored. In instances where the power remains out, we encourage customers to report their outage again using our mobile app as we continue to work on restoring service in our service territory.
- Stay safe and informed.
o Stay away from downed power lines. Always assume downed power lines are energized and dangerous. Keep in mind the downed lines may not always be visible, and use extra caution when walking outside after a storm. Please remain at least 30 feet away and ensure that others avoid the downed line. Because of an usually high volume of calls, customers who call 888-333-4465 to report a downed power line may get an automated voice message and experience a call disconnection. We encourage customers to use the app.
o Properly connect your generator and follow all manufacturer’s operating and safety instructions. If you have a generator, make sure it is fueled, service, and properly connected. Always operate a generator outdoors and with adequate ventilation.
o Download the Dominion Energy app. We encourage customers to use the Dominion Energy app, which is the fastest and most secure way to report or track an outage. Customers may also report outages by going to DominionEnergy.com or calling 800-251-7234. Keep in mind that customers may be experiencing internet/Wi-Fi service disruptions along with widespread power outages.
o Check the outage map. Customers can use the Dominion Energy outage map for up-to-date information on restoration progress.
o Follow Dominion Energy on social media. The company will provide regular updates and additional tips to help keep customers informed and safe.