Meanwhile, as of 8 p.m. Saturday, about 10,000 Allegheny Power customers in Frederick County and 5,800 in Washington County were still in the dark, an Allegheny spokesman said.
"We have a freezer full of meat we don't want to lose," said Phyllis Brusky, who lives in Sharpsburg with her husband, Joseph.
As they began Saturday afternoon still without electricity, they were stocking up on ice to protect their food.
In all, more than 800 customers were still without electricity in the Sharpsburg area Saturday, according to figures released Saturday by Allegheny spokesman Allen Staggers.
While some residents might be expecting power to be restored by early today, others have been told it could take until as long as Tuesday.
In the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, Jefferson County still had the most trouble. In all, 3,500 customers there were still in the dark at 8 p.m. Morgan County had 2,400 out while Berkeley County showed only 940 still without power at 8 p.m. Saturday, Staggers said.
"We have 300 customers in Franklin County, Pa., and 480 in Fulton County, Pa., who are also without power," Staggers said.
Crews from as far away as Pittsburgh and Michigan were brought in to boost the number of repairmen on the job to 1,400, Allegheny officials said. The crews are working 24 hours a day and will continue to do so until all electric power is restored, officials said.
Even with utility contractors and tree trimmers also working around the clock, that could still take until Tuesday before everyone is back in service, officials said.
Despite Saturday's deceptively sunny skies, some areas of the Potomac River and the streams that feed it were continuing to rise, National Weather Service forecasters said Saturday.
As of noon Saturday, the South Branch of the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers had crested, forecasters said.
Calvin Meadows, a weather service spokesman, said the river crested during the day Saturday at about 28 feet - three feet above flood stage. By 7:45 p.m., he said the water had dropped to 20.66 feet and was continuing to fall.
The Potomac at Harpers Ferry, W.Va., also crested above flood stage Saturday afternoon before beginning to drop. At 7:45 p.m., it had fallen to 19.36 feet - little more than a foot above flood stage, which is 18 feet.
The flood stage of 23 feet at Williamsport was just reached Saturday afternoon before the river there began to fall, forecasters said. Just before 8 p.m. Saturday, the water's depth at that point had dropped to 21 feet, Meadows said.
At Shepherdstown, W.Va., the Potomac was at 18.47 feet Saturday night and still rising, already more than 3 feet above flood stage.
After cresting in Hancock Saturday afternoon, the Potomac was at nearly 23 feet at 7:45 p.m., 7 feet below the flood stage of 30 feet there.
The effects of Isabel lingered for area residents in other ways, too.
Several roads in Berkeley County, W.Va., were reported to be closed Saturday because of high water from flooding along the Potomac and nearby streams.
According to Stephen Allen, director of the Berkeley County Office of Emergency Services, those included Douglas Grove Road, Long Mountain Road, Scrabble Road at Shopperts Ford, Allensville Road and the Light-Sperow Bridge on Berkeley Station Road.
Dam No. 4 at Scrabble Road had only one lane open Saturday and motorists were urged to use caution through that area, Allen said.
He stressed that residents living in and around the areas where flooding was expected well into Saturday night, were being urged to voluntarily evacuate their homes.
He said the American Red Cross is providing shelters at Potomack Intermediate School, 5308 Williamsport Pike, and the Army National Guard Shelter, 157th Military Police, 220 Sabre Jet Blvd. in Martinsburg, W.Va.
