S.C. Electric and Gas officials are expecting 105 mph winds, a storm surge of 10-to-12-feet and a foot-to-15-inches of rain from Hurricane Matthew.

SCE&G President Keller Kissam spoke at a press conference Friday afternoon, where he offered assurance.

“We are prepared for this event,” Kissam said.

He said the utility company has a personnel force of 2,000 ready to jump in and begin repairing damage as soon as the storm clears. Kissam also said there could be some power interruption in the Midlands depending on the amount of rainfall the area gets. More personnel will be added, when needed, as it becomes available, Kissam said.

Crews from Texas, Oklahoma and Mississippi are staged in the Midlands and other parts of the state. Other SCE&G personnel are stationed in Beaufort and Hampton counties, closer to where the storm is predicted to hit (Beaufort County) with 105 mph winds around 2 a.m. Saturday.

Kissam said the hurricane will have a greater impact than 1989’s Hurricane Hugo. He also said expectation are that the hurricane will arrive in Charleston around 8 a.m. and move to the Grand Strand area Saturday afternoon.

Kissam released contact information to report outages. He said if access to SCE&G.com is available, it is the most efficient and effective way to report outages. He also gave a phone number: 1-888-333-4465, to report disruptions. There is also an SCE&G app that can be downloaded. It allows for texting- and returned texts. Kassam said SCE&G’s Facebook Page is another source of information about service activity, but it’s not an option to report outages.

Kissam said critical needs facilities, including hospitals, elder care centers and water-sewer stations, would be prioritized for power restoration.

He also warned the public to keep away from downed power lines. Downed lines can be live and deadly.

He said SCE&G personnel will not stop working until the power of every customer is restored.