Oct. 6 – Power is slowly being restored in Aiken and Edgefield counties as crews continue to arrive in the wake of Tropical Storm Helene.
Dominion reported that 7,078 of 62,038 customers in Aiken County were without power as of Sunday, October 6, at 3 p.m. In Edgefield County, 1,138 of 7,565 customers are without power.
Dominion’s president said there is now one lineman for every seven households in the area.
Aiken Electric Cooperative is also working to restore power to its members.
The outage map shows that 6,000 of Aiken Electric’s 36,861 members in Aiken County are without power as of Oct. 6 at 3 p.m. In Edgefield County, 3,900 of 7,227 customers have no service.
A “tent city” has sprung up in Graniteville as Aiken Electric houses hundreds of linemen.
Dominion Energy estimates that 85% of its customers in Aiken County have now had power restored and that number will increase to 95% by Wednesday, October 9 at 11:00 PM. In Edgefield County, it estimates that 85% will have power by 11:00 PM Sunday, October 6 and 95% by 11:00 PM on Wednesday, October 9
Aiken Electric began notifying customers of estimated restoration times on October 2. To add your phone number, click here for instructions on how to add or update your contact information.
Those who do not have a current phone number or do not have a phone number listed on their account will be included in the next round of text message alerts when the system is updated. After signing up, customers will receive routine updates based on reviews and progress made.
Aiken Electric said restoration times may increase or decrease based on this information. If you don’t receive the first warning, you can visit our storm updates page for a list of estimated recovery times by area.
Dinner places
The Salvation Army has two dinner locations that will be open from 5:00 PM on Sunday, October 6 until empty.
1. KJ’s in Aiken — 1048 York St. NE
2. KJ’s in Edgefield-155 Carolina Square
Help with insurance
The South Carolina Department of Insurance is offering consumer assistance and remote claims services, along with insurance companies, on Monday, October 7 and Tuesday, October 8 in Aiken.
It is open both days from 10am to 7pm in the Aldi parking lot, 2510 Whiskey Road.
Representatives from State Farm, USAA, Allstate, South Carolina Farm Bureau, Auto-Owners, Travelers, Progressive, Nationwide and Heritage Insurance Companies will be present, along with members of the SC DOI’s Office of Consumer Services to assist consumers in filing claims and responding to insurance. -related questions.
The SC DOI’s Insurance Fraud Division will share information to help consumers avoid being scammed by bad actors that often emerge after a disaster.
Consumers are encouraged to contact the South Carolina Department of Insurance’s Office of Consumer Services at 803-737-6180 or visit doi.sc.gov for more information and for helpful tips on navigating the claims process.
Flood insurance holders should contact their agent or NFIP directly to report flood claims at 1-800-427-4219 or visit www.floodsmart.gov for additional information on the NFIP claims process. Suspected insurance fraud should be reported to 1-888-95-FRAUD.
Ban on burning
The South Carolina Forestry Commission has revised the State Forester’s Burning Ban – effective Thursday, October 3 at 6 a.m. – to include 15 counties: Abbeville, Aiken, Anderson, Cherokee, Edgefield, Greenville, Greenwood, Laurens, McCormick, Newberry, Oconee , Pickens, Saluda, Spartanburg and Union counties.
A state forestry ban prohibits outdoor burning outside all unincorporated areas (outside city limits). This includes burning garden waste, burning for forestry, wildlife or agricultural purposes (prescribed burning), campfires, bonfires and other fires for recreational purposes.
