South River Electric Membership Corporation has released all out-of-state resources, as their outage numbers have dwindled to just dozens after working to restore power for nearly a week.

Officials with the electric company said linemen were dedicating all local resources to restoring service to the 125 members who remained without power Wednesday morning, including the nine Sampson County residents still in the dark.

As of 4 p.m. Wednesday, there were 3,243 power outages being reported in Sampson. Duke Energy is reporting 1,729; Four County is reporting 1,505 and South River is reporting nine.

“We are dedicating all local resources to restoring service to these members,” officials with South River noted on the company’s Facebook page.

At the height of the storm, more than 25,000 residents, or 65 percent of Sampson’s total population, were without power. Crews from multiple states across the country worked with local electric companies to restore power to residents as quickly as possible.

Representatives from Duke Energy stated outages impacted both North and South Carolina residents, with crews having restored power to more than one million customers who experienced an outage during the storm.

While the power is out, people are encouraged to turn off their air conditioners, all appliances and all lights except one. This will help make the transition easier once the electricity is restored. If people have too many electric items on when the power is restored, the circuits can be overloaded causing additional outages.

According to officials with Four County, approximately 13,000 members were without power at the start of the day Wednesday. In areas where restoration points are inaccessible due to flooding or damaged roadways, or where damage to power poles and power lines is severe, the restoration effort may last several more days.

Electric crews have braved a variety of conditions to work and restore power to more than 25,000 total residents across Sampson County.
https://www.clintonnc.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/web1_42194076_2194044090669173_5062156112715841536_n-1.jpgElectric crews have braved a variety of conditions to work and restore power to more than 25,000 total residents across Sampson County.

By Kristy D. Carter

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Reach Kristy D. Carter at 910-592-8137, ext. 2588. Follow us on Twitter at @SampsonInd. Like us on Facebook.