Ice storm worse than a hurricane, utility crews say - WMBFNews.com, Myrtle Beach/Florence SC, Weather

This week's winter storm dealt a significant, crippling blow to five co-ops, with outages affecting more than 50 percent of their members.

"The amount of damage we have here is equal to Hurricane Hugo," says David Felkel, president and CEO of Edisto Electric Cooperative in Bamberg. Portions of the territory served by Edisto Electric received more than one-inch of ice, interrupting service to more than 80 percent of their consumers.