ByAlexis Simmons|March 25, 2020 at 4:52 PM EDT - Updated March 25 at 5:23 PM
CHARLESTON, S.C. (WCSC) - Dominion Energy crews in South Carolina are working to restore power to about 1,500 homes with suspended services during the coronavirus pandemic.
The company says they made this decision before the governor ordered companies to provide service to those who got behind on bills.
Officials with the company say crews are still working day-to-day to make sure families have power during this time. They know that many people are working from home and children are learning from home.
The Vice President of Electric Distribution for Dominion Energy in South Carolina Bill Turner says field crews are taking safety precautions including sanitizing their vehicles before and after their shifts and maintaining their distance when they can. They are also working in smaller groups.
“We’re trying to do is protect them so they are able to go to work,” Turner said. “Safety has always been and continues to be our number one priority.”
Crews are not only restoring power for those you weren’t able to pay, but they’re also responding to emergency power outages, working on construction related projects and other tasks.
"This is just something we do regarding a situation whether it's a hurricane, whether it's an ice storm, whether it's a tornado, we understand that this is an essential product that we provide to our customers," Turner said.
For example, earlier today a journeyman lineman, Patrick Naylor, responded to a kite stuck in a power line in Mount Pleasant. There were no disruptions to power from this incident.
“It’s a pretty good feeling to be able to bring power back to the customers whenever it’s been out for an extended period of time or even a short period of time,” Naylor said.
The company says the health and well-being of their customers and employees is their top priority.
“Anytime they see us pull up they always come up and want to chat, which again is a challenge because they are used to coming up and shaking our hands and we have to remind them about the 6 feet social distancing,” Naylor said.
Turner also warns customers to lookout for scams. He says someone has been trying to take advantage of customers. He says Dominion Energy doesn’t conduct business by asking for immediate payment.
If your service is disconnected or you are having some concerns about pay you can call Dominion Energy at 1-800-251-7234 or visit theirwebsite.
Officials with the company say they are still working to restore power to homes where it was cut off prior to the pandemic.
When it comes to payment, they’ll work with customers individually.
“Everyone has been real supportive of what we do and thanking us every chance they get,” Naylor said. “We see that more now than we have in the past because there’s a lot of people home.”
Copyright 2020 WCSC. All rights reserved.
Photo: Dominion Energy