Grand Strand utility companies prepare to keep the power on as hurricane season begins

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WMBF) - Grand Strand utility companies like Santee Cooper say they work all year round to make sure that they are prepared for hurricane season.

The Santee Cooper electric company serves over 200,000 people directly and distributes additional power to millions of homes across the state.

Because of the large scale of people that Santee Cooper serves, hurricane preparation is a year-round task.

Santee Cooper electric crew constantly clears power lines and checks vehicles for corrosion from the salt air.

When a storm watch is in place, a call center and crew of linemen wait on standby.

Santee Copper Spokes Person Tracy Vreeland said that if you ever see a crew enter your neighborhood and then leave, it’s a good sign.

“Oftentimes we have a crew that goes out ahead of our crews that are working, just to see what the damage may be and make sure those crews have equipment,” said Vreeland.

If the power does go out, officials urge people to stay off the roads so utility crews can respond faster.