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Some utility companies can't say for sure when power will be restored after thousands along South Carolina's coast were left in the dark from Hurricane Dorian, but the lights could be out for days.

The South Carolina Emergency Management Division reported close to 185,000 outages across the state by early Friday. The number had improved to about 84,000 by about 4:15 p.m. Friday.

There were at least 225,000 statewide outages at its peak, said Derrec Becker, an Emergency Management spokesman. By comparison, there were about 800,000 total statewide outages from Hurricane Florence in 2018, he said.

About 195 extra line workers from out-of-state electric cooperatives and in-state co-ops have also responded to the Lowcountry counties to assist with restoring power, said Van O’Cain, with the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina.

"In some areas, the storm was passing late yesterday afternoon as nighttime approached. The timing was such that some co-ops were only beginning their assessments of damage, which is being continued early this morning," said Lou Green, a spokesman for the Electric Cooperatives of South Carolina.

The Charleston Police Department issued a statement early Friday advising residents to delay coming back to their homes for a few more days even if the evacuation order is lifted due to ongoing power outages.

Utility providers have offered residents safety tips that include keeping power generators outside in well-ventilated areas and assuming that downed power lines are energized.

Daniel J. Gross is an investigative watchdog reporter focusing on public safety and law enforcement for The Greenville News. Reach him at dgross@greenvillenews.com or on Twitter @danieljgross.