Twenty years ago on Sept. 21, 1989 Hurricane Hugo came ashore near Charleston and left destruction behind. According to FEMA – Hugo was one of the most devastating natural disasters of the decade. Read more about Hugo facts.
Being prepared before Hugo hit allowed SCE&G to begin restoration immediately after it was safe to go into the disaster areas.
In 18 days, the system that had taken 80 years to build and six hours to destroy was fully operational – thanks to all the individuals who made the comeback possible.
Before the storm:
Before Hugo hit, SCE&G had 2,000 poles, more than 2 million feet of wire and cable, more than 4,100 cross arms, more than 1,000 transformers, almost 14,000 insulators, and more than 10,000 fuses ordered and stored in two warehouses in Charleston.
After the storm: 
- 75 percent of SCE&G's system down – 300,000 customers
- 130,000 customers with no electricity in Charleston
- Wateree and Williams stations knocked out
- 400 downed transmission structures, 5,000 poles down, 570 miles of down power lines, over 15,000 service drops in Charleston and 1,300 transformers destroyed
Restoration:
More than 2,000 employees and 7,000 contractors and workers from other utilities contributed to the restoration effort. In 18 days our system was restored, safely, without a single lost time incident. Learn more about Hugo restoration by the numbers.
