BELCO: Prepared For Direct Impact From Hurricane

September 5, 2012

BELCO said they are “prepared for Hurricane Leslie to have direct impact on the Island this weekend.” The company’s Hurricane Response Plan is activated and systems, supplies and staff are ready, and the company’s fleet of trucks is fully fuelled and stocked.

Hurricane Leslie is presently carrying maximum sustained winds are 75mph [120km/h], and is a Category One hurricane on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Scale. Leslie was 470 miles south south-east of Bermuda, and is expected to bring storm force winds on Saturday, and hurricane force winds early on Sunday.

The full release from BELCO is below:

Bermuda Electric Light Company Limited (BELCO) is prepared for Hurricane Leslie to have direct impact on the Island this weekend. The company’s Hurricane Response Plan is activated and systems, supplies and staff are ready.

At BELCO, before the storm reaches the Island, a command centre is established in the C. Eugene Cox Operation Centre to manage electricity restoration work. The company’s fleet of trucks is fully fuelled and stocked. Line crews are mobilised, and crews and equipment are positioned at safe, strategic locations across the Island.

Essential staff, such as Customer Service Representatives, are put on alert to come into work as soon as it is safe to do so, after the storm eases. In addition, BELCO has requested assistance from CARILEC, an association of Caribbean electric utlities (www.carilec.org ), asking that crews from Caribbean utilities be prepared to join the restoration effort, if needed.

Before, during and after the hurricane, the Operations Centre is in contact with Bermuda’s Emergency Measures Organisation (EMO) headquarters, responding in tandem with EMO. Throughout the storm, engineers in the Operations Centre will monitor the entire system.

BELCO wishes to assure the public that its’ power generation plant will be staffed and continue to operate during the hurricane (contrary to an incorrect, but persistent rumour that the plant shuts down). BELCO always continues to generate power during storms, so that customers with intact overhead or underground lines may continue to be supplied with electricity.

The Operations Centre team will be aware of when and where outages occur. During the storm, crews will be dispatched to make repairs for as long as they can do so safely. When weather conditions make work unsafe, they will stand down until the storm passes.

Safety is BELCO’s first priority during a storm – both for customers and employees; as soon as storm conditions ease, efforts turn to quick, efficient, Island-wide power restoration. BELCO’s first step is to dispatch damage-assessment teams, then develop a restoration plan.

Crews restore power first to main line circuits to get the maximum number of customers back on with each job; priority is given to lines supplying essential services, e.g., Fire Service, Police, airport and hospital. Once main lines are back on, branch lines are restored and then smaller distribution lines.

BELCO will keep the public informed of restoration progress through its web site, www.belco.bm and local news media, Twitter and Facebook. BELCO offers the following energy-related hurricane information:

Prepare for Storm-related Outages

BELCO maintains a list of customers on life support equipment that requires electricity and priority is given to restoring power to these customers; however, the company advises these customers to make arrangements for appropriate care during the storm.

Have flashlights and batteries ready, plus manual can opener, and fill bathtubs, sinks, pots and jugs with water.

Before the storm, trim trees branches away from power lines only if you can do so safely and without the branches falling onto overhead lines.

Surge protection equipment can save valuable appliances and sensitive electronic equipment (note: surge protectors are not the same as simple power strips), but it is even better to disconnect appliances and electronic equipment prior to a hurricane.

Put refrigerators and freezers on the coldest settings prior to the storm; keep doors closed to keep food cold as long as possible, in the event of an outage. This equipment should be on a surge protector.

BELCO cannot accept liability for damage to equipment caused by power interruptions or voltage variations such as spikes or surges that occur as a result of severe weather.

Generator Safety

Read manufacturer’s instructions and operate the generator accordingly. Make sure the generator is the correct voltage for your appliances (110V). If you have questions, contact a qualified electrician. Improper operation can cause fire and electrical shock to you and BELCO line crews. Note: generators require routine use, testing and maintenance.

Connect your generator correctly, so that it is isolated from the BELCO system. Incorrectly connecting a generator is a safety hazard for you and for BELCO line crews, as the generator may back feed and energise power lines. Do not connect the generator into the breaker panel or household lines; plug appliances directly into the generator and avoid overloading.

Operate the generator outdoors in a well-ventilated area, and make sure it is properly earthed or grounded. Also, make sure it is protected from rain.

Never refuel a generator while it is running or hot. Always keep open flames, such as matches or candles, away from the generator; use a battery-operated flashlight when refueling. Unplug the generator output cord before starting it.

Renewable Energy Installations

Before the hurricane arrives, set your solar or other renewable energy installation to ‘island’ mode, so that it is isolated from BELCO’s system and cannot back feed, energising power lines. If your neighbourhood does not lose power, or when power is restored, you may safely return the system to normal operation.

Call BELCO at 955

Before the hurricane, make sure that BELCO has the correct phone number associated with your account, so that when you dial 955 to reach the Outage Management System, your account and phone number will be recognised.

Please do NOT phone 955 during a hurricane, as crews cannot be safely dispatched until after the storm subsides.

After the storm passes, BELCO will be aware of widespread outages. Please phone 955 only if your neighbours have power, but you do not.

Power Line Safety

Never touch downed lines, as they may be live. Telephone or cable television wires that are touching power lines can become energised and should also be avoided. If you see a downed line, call BELCO immediately at 955; if you do not reach a BELCO operator, call 911 to report the location of the downed wire.

Never pull tree limbs off lines, and do not attempt to carry out repairs to overhead lines yourself.

Stay clear of areas where there is a lot of debris or downed trees, as live power lines may be concealed in the debris. Also, stay clear of chain link or other metallic fences that may be energised if touching a downed line.

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Articles that link to this one:

  1. Wed, Sept 5th: Tropical Storm Leslie Updates | Bernews.com | September 5, 2012
  1. Opressed says:

    LOL! Ready my a$$!

    Oh well, 6 weeks with out power is a small price to pay for living in Bermuda.

  2. Razor says:

    This storm will be the perfect excuse for them to raise rates yet again. 2K a month for electricity here we come!

  3. Bermudian says:

    Thank you to all the Belco staff who are there after the storm when they should be home with their own families!

  4. Terry says:

    You guys just don’t get it do you.
    Regardless of what you think, been subjected too, one can only do so much.
    Victor Newman is………………..

  5. Fed Up Bermudian says:

    I have to say thank you to the BELCO crews in advance. They work damned hard, in rotten conditions, and often in oppressive heat just to get us all back on line. Yes, it’s partly profit-motivated for sure. But really, when we get slammed by a hurricane, our outages are as short as they can be. I was one of the customers without power for almost two weeks after Fabian, and I have to say that even so, I am appreciative of their efforts. In this same spirit, I give thanks in advance to the men and women of the Regiment. They were lifesavers after Fabian.

    I pray that we don’t get as badly hit as we did with Fabian, but if we do, I know the ground crews at BELCO will be working tirelessly to get the island back up and running again.

    Be safe, all.

  6. street wise says:

    We wouldn’t have electrical outage issues if BELCO had buried their cables like they were supposed to do many years ago. Obviously BELCO is profit oriented rather than cunsumer oriented. So how could they increase their fuel surcharge four times when the price of oil was continually going down? That ain’t right, and we just let it slide.

    This has nothing to do with the excellent work the outside crews do.

    • sooooooo says:

      @ streetwise…. Ditto, maybe we should roll back the price hike that was approved on the grounds (no pun intended) that all cables would be underground..

      That being a management issue… Hats off to the guys on the streets!!!!

  7. VJ says:

    @ Fed up Bermudian…thank you for that positive message. As Bermudians we all tend to be critical and negative, but in reality we are better off than many parts of the world and should be grateful. Be safe my fellow Bermudians…

  8. Triangle Drifter says:

    Lets hope Leslie is not another Fabian. No house damage but no power for 6 weeks. Camping at home gets old quick.

    Ready for no power this time. Finally bought a genny. Also collected some partially used batterys & an inverter for 110 power for small stuff so gas guzzling genny does not have to run so much.

    It is not if the BELCO power is lost but when. Sure would be nice to dig up all the roads, create all that havoc & all that expense to bury cable just to be certain of power but it just is not going to happen. The cost is too high.

  9. But I Can Dream says:

    For goodness sake people. We may have issues with Belco, but when it comes down to it, Belco does their job, and more, and efficiently too, risking safety of themselves. So would everyone stop complaining for once and appreciate this for what it is? Bermudians and their spoiled sense of entitlement, you need to get over yourselves. You’ll be the first ones calling 955….And yes, I am a young, Black born and raised Bermudian female making these comments.

  10. street wise says:

    I don’t care what any of you feel, BELCO is ripping us off. Over $500.00 a month to power a 1400 sq ft condo is absolutely ridiculous!

    Tell us again… how many poor folks have been disconnected because they have not been able to afford electricity. No, you’ve never told us that. Why? Because we’d all be absolutely shocked! These folks have been camping at home for some time now.

    I have heard rumours that there are over 1500 disconnects, and it continues daily!…. what, until we’re ALL cut off because power is simply too expensive?!

    Again… all in all BELCO workers do a great job, it’s management I’m concerned about.