For the third straight day storms with high winds and rain moved through Savannah Electric`s service area causing scattered power outages and complicating ongoing repair efforts.

By 5 p.m. Tuesday, less than 2700 customers remained without power. The company has restored power to thousands of customers since Sunday, but each time repair crews neared completion of their work, new storms would bring down trees and limbs causing new outages.

Crews will continue working into the evening, but the last of the outages could persist into Wednesday, especially if new storms hit the area. Any customer having damage to their meter, masthead (the point where the electric line attaches to their home or business) or other electric system components will need to have an electrician make repairs and then obtain local inspection authority approval before power can be restored.

A Savannah Electric storm team had been assembled and was prepared to travel to Florida early this week, but those plans have been postponed until damage to Savannah Electric`s system has been repaired. The company will reassess assistance requests from both Georgia and Florida later this week.

Important Safety Reminders:

« Parents are urged to specifically remind children not to touch or go near any wire they may see, even if the wire appears to be "dead" or inactive.

« Downed lines could be hidden by storm debris or submerged in flooded areas. Look for wires before clearing debris or coming in contact with fences, vehicles or standing water.

How customers can help and prepare:

« Downed wires should be reported on Savannnah Electric`s Hotline at 1-800-390-2834 or by calling 911.

« Should power outages occur, large appliances such as air conditioners and stoves should be switched off and turned back on individually after power is restored.

« Leaving porch lights switched on during an outage helps crews assess restoration efforts.

« Other storm tips can be found at www.savannahelectric.com under "Storm Information"