More than 75,000 Appalachian Power customers were still without power Saturday afternoon, including 1,777 in Logan County. But that could change as the National Weather Service has said some areas of the state could get severe thunderstorms today.

Ninety-degree heat and storms all week slowed efforts to restore electricity since the powerful storm that tore across the state June 29 and knocked out power to more than 680,000 customers.

Because of the summer storm and the heat wave that has parched lawns and storm-damaged trees, Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin ordered a burning ban Friday, citing scarce water supplies and the ongoing emergency response.

“With our emergency personnel working hard to provide recovery assistance, along with the unusually dry conditions, we must take extra precautions to help prevent accidental fires,” Tomblin said.

Due to food spoilage by those without power, the state Department of Health and Human Resources said it would offer replacement benefits to food stamp users who lost food. Recipients can apply for replacement benefits through local DHHR offices. The deadline is Monday, but the agency says that could be extended with federal government approval.

Frontier Communications was part of the restoration effort, too, bringing in 40 out-of-state workers to help restore telecommunications services.