The sleet, freezing rain and snow that hit much of the state Tuesday night did not cause widespread power outages for the state's electric cooperatives.
Berkeley Electric Cooperative, which serves members in Charleston, Dorchester and Berkeley counties, has experienced many of the reported outages. As of 6 a.m. Wednesday, approximately 4,000 Berkeley members were without power, according to the co-op's spokesman, Eddie McKnight. McKnight says those outages were caused by trees contacting power lines and lines being taken down by the heavy weight.
Power crews from Fairfield Electric Cooperative, Mid-Carolina Electric Cooperative and Newberry Electric Cooperative have been dispatched to assist Berkeley with power restoration efforts. Berkeley predicts that all power will be restored today.
If you see a downed power line, stay away and report it immediately to your local power provider.