In advance of the Hurricane Hermine, electric cooperative crews from states neighboring South Carolina are on standby prepared to assist restoration efforts in the event of widespread outages. The meandering, slow-moving storm is predicted to pass overland Friday, directly affecting Georgia and the Palmetto State.

'At times like this, we hope for the best and prepare for the worst,' said Todd Carter, vice president of loss control and training for The Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina. 'If we do have to call additional crews for help, it's good to know we have their support.'

The National Weather Service in Charleston predicts tropical storm force winds for coastal counties in the Lowcountry Friday, while a significant portion of South Carolina is under a flash flood watch.

'This is a good time to remind electric cooperative members that they should have an emergency kit in their home,' said Carter. Kits can include items like flashlights, batteries, a first-aid kit and a hand-crank radio. Households are also urged to have ample supplies of fresh water and non-perishable food. 'And we also want to stress how important it is to practice safety around electrical equipment.'

If outages do occur, consumers are urged to:

- Stay away from downed wires or damaged electric equipment. Assume any downed wire is still energized and dangerous. Touching an energized wire can lead to injuries and death.

- Never use a portable generator inside a home or garage. Some products produce carbon monoxide fumes that can build up and poison people and animals.