They can't turn it on until everything downstream is solid. There may not be anything wrong with the feeder itself, but with what it feeds. There's also the possibility that something coming in from another direction has problems.
Its always tough to have to wait, I know, but they have to stay safe in a very dangerous environment.
They also have to worry about someone hooking up a generator wrong and sending voltage back through a transformer, turning it into 7200 volts for the linemen.