BELCO Making Progress, But Facing Setbacks
Following Hurricane Humberto, BELCO said they “continue to make good progress in restoring power” but are “facing setbacks” such as “pole fires due to salt that had been deposited by Humberto combined with a light rain, which knocked out power to a number of areas that had been restored.”
A spokesperson said, ” Following the passage of Hurricane Humberto, BELCO continues to make good progress in restoring power to our customers.
“Work continues on main branch lines and crews are working on smaller pockets of outages in neighbourhoods in all parishes.
“However, over-grown vegetation that was broken, uprooted, and hitting power lines during the storm is making the restoration process much more time consuming, as it takes a few hours to reconnect small pockets of customers. In some cases customers who have had their power restored will have it switched off temporarily so that other lines can be safely repaired.
“While our crews are making good progress they are also facing setbacks. On Monday evening there were a number of pole fires due to salt that had been deposited by Humberto combined with a light rain, which knocked out power to a number of areas that had been restored. Dealing with these priority emergencies has slowed progress on planned restorations.
“Thankfully, with the assistance of our retirees, as well as extra linesmen from Algonquin Power & Utilities Corp, we have 75% more linesmen working to restore electricity to our remaining customers without power.
“With the approach of Tropical Storm Jerry, BELCO are replenishing supplies and equipment in staging areas across the island to prepare for any further damage to the grid.
“BELCO crews will continue to work between 8am and midnight across the island to restore power. As Tropical Storm Jerry approaches, BELCO crews will work until the weather makes it unsafe to continue. Crews will be back out as soon as the storm has passed and it is safe to recommence restoration.
“BELCO would like to thank all those who have been instrumental in getting the work done efficiently and safely, BELCO asks for the public’s patience as work continues. Residents are encouraged to visit the BELCO website at belco.bm for up-to-date information.”
You can view our live updates on Hurricane Humberto and Tropical Storm Jerry here, all our coverage of Humberto here, our coverage of Jerry here, and all our coverage of the 2019 Hurricane Season here.
Why do we have Algonquin workers here? Do they have work permits/ legal paperwork as they are not Bermudians? Have Government gone and sold our souls again Last I heard there was no decision from the authorities in regards to this sale going forward?
First world overseas territory trying to attract foreign direct investment, good luck with that.