 Hardware stores experienced great demand for portable generators , chain saws , dehumidifiers , and air movers following the passage of the hurricane . Utility crews from across the country came to the state to assist in returning power , though power outages persisted for several days . Over 2 @,@ 500 utility members worked , in some cases around the clock , to restore the power . One power company restored power to 68 % of its affected customers by the day after Isabel passed through the area . By four days after landfall , 83 @,@ 000 customers were without power , down from its peak of several hundred thousand . 
